Mo Fahim

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.