Weekend winds threaten to intensify wildfires in N.W.T.

Weather conditions in the Dehcho and South Slave regions of the N.W.T. this weekend could cause new wildfires and grow active ones.

There are 89 active wildfires in the Northwest Territories as of Friday, and N.W.T. Fire has issued a warning that strong winds with the possibility of lightning in the coming days could worsen the situation.

Mike Westwick, afire information officer, says crews are bracing for a weekend of high temperatures and strong winds.

"We do expect to see a fair bit of fire activity this weekend on existing fires," he said. "For now, there are no communities under threat and, you know, we've made some good progress on some of our priority fires during that period of reprieve."

Westwick said this weekend is not the time to forget about fire safety.

"If there's not a great water source nearby, pack some and plan to use it to put out that fire," he said. "Soak it, stir it, soak it. Repeat until the air above is cool to the touch We need to remain on high alert. It is September, but the fire season is very much still alive."

In the South Slave near the N.W.T.-Alberta border, fire crews are fighting hot spots along the rail line and working on preventive measures such a sprinklers to hold back fires west of Highway 1. Poor visibility slowed suppression efforts and prevented air attacks Friday.

Fires along that stretch of highway have intermittently closed the road over the past few weeks.

Travel is not recommended on Highway 1 south of kilometre 84 as of Friday afternoon. Further south on Highway 1, expect traffic delays and drive with caution between kilometres 6 and 32.

Westwick said the wildfire in that area is a challenging one crews have been fighting for months.

"It's just really stubborn. We're dealing with deep drought in the area. It's a stubborn fire that really did kick back to life under some pretty severe conditions," he said.

On the west side of Kakisa Lake, strong winds prevented fire crews on the ground from attacking a wildfire but tankers were able to make drops as conditions allowed. Highway access was not threatened as of Friday.

The north end of that fire is contained, providing some relief to Kakisa and Fort Providence. There are no wildfires threats to the communities or structures at the moment.

N.W.T. Fire also warns that adverse weather could strike the North Slave region this weekend. Lightning caused a small fire that'sburning about 14 kilometres southwest of Yellowknife. Airtankers and ground crews contained the fire and have it under control, and there is no threat to communities, cabins or other infrastructure at the moment, N.W.T. Fire said Friday.