Rain welcome in Fort Smith, N.W.T., but wildfire risk remains

Hours after territorial officials said firefighters were being pulled from Fort Smith, N.W.T., due to safety concerns, the community received a "decent amount" of rain Monday evening, said Fort Smith's emergency management co-ordinator.

"We were very happy to see some rain," said Adam McNab.

"It's been a very dry summer, so it'll take a lot more for us to rest easy at night, but it definitely helps. Unfortunately, it came with a whole bunch of lightning in the area, so hopefully the rain is more impactful than the lightning."

While fire crews were supposed to relocate to Fort Chipewyan in Alberta, McNab said there are still personnel in Fort Smith.

"This morning things are looking a lot better than what was predicted yesterday," McNab told CBC North's The Trailbreaker on Tuesday.

McNab also said the community continues to airlift residents that stayed behind after it declared an evacuation order on Sunday.

"The community and recreation centre is still going to be available as a shelter-in-place should there be a fire impingement into the community and we will try and move anyone remaining to that location," said McNab.

He added that it was not clear how many people remained in the community.

Dana Fergusson, a councillor in Fort Smith, said on social media that the community has not had any damage.

She added that the community is still without landline and cellular service.

In an update issued at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Wood Buffalo National Park officials said it's still not safe for residents to return.

It said only about one millimetre of rain fell in the area.

"This amount of moisture provides roughly two-thirds of a day before fire behaviour returns to extreme burning conditions," reads the update.

It added that the fire is burning about four kilometres south of Fort Smith and is "flanking" toward Highway 5 and the community.

"A flanking fire is a fire that parallels the wind direction and moves more slowly," said the park's update.

The update also stated that crews were temporarily relocating their bases of operations due to "significant impacts to the area's power supply, and the ability to continue to treat potable water, maintain communication lines, and healthcare services [are] no longer sustainable. This makes it very difficult for first responders to do their jobs safely."

Mike Westwick, fire information officer with the N.W.T. government, said there is still an "imminent threat of the fire reaching the community."

He added that crews are still working on structure protection and possible controlled burns to stop the fire's growth.

N.W.T. residents forced out by wildfires

1 year ago

Duration 1:39

Wildfires burning in several communities in the Northwest Territories have sparked evacuation orders. Premier Caroline Cochrane on Monday urged people to listen to officials and leave if they're asked, saying those who stay behind complicate firefighting efforts.

Speaking with CBC News Network, Premier Caroline Cochrane urged residents to leave.

Those who stay, despite their good intentions, she said, "are actually putting more people at risk because not only do our emergency supports have to focus on fighting the fire, they also have to provide supports to make sure that people that aren't part of the emergency response are safe."