After brief restoration, phone and internet goes down again to two evacuated N.W.T. communities

After a short-lived reconnection of services, two evacuated communities in southern N.W.T. are once again without internet, phone and cell service.

Further fibre damage in the South Slave region has led to a full disruption to Internet, phone and cellular service in Kakisa and Jean Marie River, according to an update from Northwestel on Thursday afternoon.

"Long-distance landline phone is also impacted in Hay River and Fort Smith. Internet, local landline and cellular service are still working in those communities," the update reads.

"Communities should expect to be without service for the next 24 hours."

The news came roughly two hours after the telecom said it had finally restored service to communities, some of which have been disconnected for more than a week.

Earlier in the day, Northwestel said every N.W.T. community once again had connectivity including Kakisa.

Thecommunity of about 40 peoplehad been without telecommunicationservice since Aug. 15.That led to an evacuation order being issued via letter by the territorial government.

The wildfire threatening Kakisa remains about 14 kilometres from that community.

Many communities in the South Slave and Dehcho regions of the N.W.T. lost internet and phone service on Aug. 13 when that wildfire tore through Enterprise and severely damaged the fibre line. In that region, it knocked out telecommunications to Hay River, Enterprise, Fort Smith, Fort Resolution, Fort Providence, Jean Marie River and Kakisa.

"In the face of an unprecedented natural disaster, our frontline crews have stepped up to get communities connected in the incredibly challenging conditions," Northwestel president Curtis Shaw said in astatement.

In other areas of the N.W.T., service remains congested in other areas, including the Beaufort Delta region.

The company is bringing in back-up infrastructure to try and boost capacity in Inuvik, said Andrew Anderson, a spokesperson with Northwestel.

"There is limited capacity into these communities and so in peak periods, people will experience slow internet speeds."

Anderson added that the company has not been able to access the site of Mackenzie Valley Fibre Link damage due to ongoing wildfire activity.