Fire crews near Hay River (Photo: NWT Fire)
News
1 min.read

Airtanker operations “not effective” over the weekend as crews continue to battle out of control flames nearing Hay River

Ethan Montague
By Ethan Montague

Hot, dry conditions are set to continue in the South Slave as the Town of Hay River continues to establish a re-entry plan for residents. 

According to NWT Fire, fire activity should be tempered by an inversion later today, leading to a delay in heating on the blaze and slightly higher humidity. The inversion may break in the afternoon with temperatures forecasted to reach 25°C and gusty winds into the evening. 

Winds yesterday caused significant fire activity which saw a portion of the blaze pushed 5km north to the shores of Great Slave Lake on the K’átł’odeeche First Nation Reserve. 

The blaze currently stands 1km west of the Hay River airport and just .5km west of the industrial area and hospital. 

NWT Fire says airtanker operations were not effective during the explosive fire activity seen on the eastern-most finger of the blaze. As a result, air crews have been deployed early this morning to combat the flames while the inversion remains to slow the fire’s growth. 

The Town of Hay River is expected to make an announcement regarding the status of re-entry tonight at 8:00pm. MyTrueNorthNow will have an update as soon as information becomes available. 

Ethan Montague
Ethan Montague

Continue Reading

You may also like



cjcd Now playing play

- Advertisement -

Related Articles

- Advertisement -

Latest News

FS016 gets needed rainfall, “drastically” reducing fire activity

Fire
FS016 received up to 25 millimetres of rain, "drastically " reducing fire activity on Thursday. The wildfire remains adjacent to Liidlii Kue and Fort Simpson, covering an area over 36,380 hectares according to the latest report by Wildland officials Thursday evening.

Amber alert sounded in N.W.T. involving two children last seen in B.C.

Northwest Territories
An amber alert has sounded in the territory involving two children last seen in B.C. The alert was first issued on Wednesday in Alta. and has been expanded into the neighbouring territories and provinces.

Herring gull found with bird flu in Ft Smith

Northwest Territories
A case of bird flu has been identified in Fort Smith. The case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) was identified in a herring gull. According to an advisory issued this afternoon by the Environment and Climate Change, while the disease is highly infectious among birds, transmission risk to humans remains very low.

N.W.T., Nunavut and Man. forecast to face “highest fire danger” this season

Fire
Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski says that fire danger is anticipated to be highest in the N.W.T., Nunavut and Man. this season. The minister added that recent rains in the west are forecasted to bring relief. “Modelling indicates that in July, fire danger is expected to remain the highest across the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and northern Manitoba and areas surrounding the Hudson Bay, with elevated potential for fires in northern Ontario and Quebec."

GNWT scientists say Mackenzie and Great Slave returning to pre 2023 levels

Northwest Territories
Scientists with the GNWT’s Environment and Climate Change department say water levels are showing signs of recovery. Data collected over June and early July showed generally higher than levels for most large lakes and rivers in the territory compared to last year and previous years going back to 2023. Data showed that the Mackenzie River’s has returned to average and above average levels after a dramatic decline that saw the cancellation of the barge in 2024.