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'Important' 48 hours ahead for crews battling fire near Yellowknife

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The next two days will be critical in the fight against a wildfire on the outskirts of Yellowknife, officials said in .

The fire burning just outside of the capital city was still 15 kilometres away from the municipality as of Thursday morning, but officials said conditions in the area were quickly deteriorating.

High temperatures, "very little" precipitation and brisk to heavy winds were expected to put “significant pressure” on the eastern premier of the fire in the North Slave region on Thursday and Friday.

"This is an important 48 hours in the effort to reduce the threat to the capital region with the possibility of fire escaping the perimeter and eastward growth," the government of the Northwest Territories said in the update.

“We will be doing everything possible to continue to keep it at bay and keep making progress towards reducing wildfire threats to the area.”

More than 20,000 residents of the territorial capital were forced to flee their homes last week because of the fire, which continues to pose a threat to the region.

The territorial government’s fire danger forecast listed the fire risk conditions in Yellowknife and the nearby community of Behchoko as extreme for Thursday and Friday. 

However, officials said the fire near the communities is unlikely to reach the outskirts of the capital city over the next three days and has been “held at bay.”

The success was attributed to the work of more than 320 personnel on the ground, including from the Canadian Armed Forces, aerial support from 13 helicopters, contractors supporting the community protection effort, structural firefighter imports, as well as some rain over the last few days.

Heavy smoke from nearby wildfires fills the sky in Yellowknife on Tuesday, August 15, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Angela Gzowski

In the coming days, officials said flare ups and fire burning through the tops of trees could be periodically expected in Yellowknife. In Behchoko, the risk was deemed “minimal,” with the “odd” flare up due to the warmer sunny weather forecast for the next few days.

The latest update from the government of the Northwest Territories said the fire was roughly 1,741 square kilometres in size.

FIRES OF CONCERN IN SOUTH SLAVE REGION

Fires also posed an extreme threat to several communities in the South Slave region. 

The latest update from the territorial government listed the fire danger forecast for Fort Smith and Fort Providence as extreme from Thursday through to Saturday.

In Enterprise, the fire danger forecast was listed as extreme for Thursday and Friday.

Meanwhile, in Hay River, the fire danger forecast was listed as extreme for Friday.

As of Thursday evening, a fire dubbed “SS052” was about eight kilometres to the south of Hay River.

Officials said there would be “tough days ahead” as the fire danger was expected to rise in the area over the next three days.

“Conditions are right that without the protection that has been put in place and the fire personnel on ground, the fire would travel at 5-6 km an hour towards the town,” the territory said in .

“All crews will fall back into the Hay River area if the fire conditions worsen to have maximum effect in reducing fire risk to the town.”

Another fire named the “Wood Buffalo Complex” remained approximately four kilometres south of Fort Smith as of Thursday. It was roughly 4,599 square kilometres in size.

Officials said they expected a “challenging day” for firefighting on Friday as winds were expected to shift from the west, southwest and south, “pushing extreme fire behaviour towards communities.”

“Although the fire has not moved closer to Fort Smith, its growth over the last few days is an indication that the situation remains serious, and communities around it are still at risk,” the government of the Northwest Territories said.

Approximately 325 personnel, 24 helicopters and 57 pieces of heavy equipment were trying to extinguish and slow the spread of the Wood Buffalo Complex fire, officials added. 

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