A wildfire burns south of Enterprise, N.W.T., Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
YELLOWKNIFE – Firefighters battling a wildfire near the capital of the Northwest Territories are shifting from defence to offence after a weekend of cooler temperatures, favourable winds and some rain.
Fire information officer Mike Westwick says teams in Yellowknife had been focused on trying to stop the fire’s spread or reduce its intensity.
Starting today, crews are working to extinguish the flames along the fire’s front line.
The blaze remains about 15 kilometres from the city of 20,000 people, which was evacuated last week except for emergency workers.
Other fires are much closer to the communities of Hay River and Fort Smith in the south of the territory.
Flames are about four kilometres away from Fort Smith, and hotter temperatures and unfavourable winds are expected to create a tough day for firefighters.
Westwick says almost 600 firefighters are in the field, backed up by dozens of helicopters, air tankers and pieces of heavy equipment.
Meanwhile, more soldiers are being deployed to Hay River, which has been evacuated for more than a week.
Defence Minister Bill Blair announced on Sunday the deployment to the town on the south shore of Great Slave Lake, saying it would bring the number of soldiers helping the territory around Hay River and Yellowknife to about 400.
Premier Caroline Cochrane said Sunday she has spoken with several federal ministers, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, about how the territory needs financial assistance to deal with the fires and help evacuees.
Planning is underway in case the upcoming school year is disrupted, Cochrane added, noting the response could be online learning, which was done during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 21, 2023.
