The wildfire raging around Behchoko has destroyed at least three homes, Fire NWT stated on Wednesday morning.
The territorial government division sent out a news release on Wednesday morning which states that the blaze “blew up” overnight and the firefighting team had to pull back for safety reasons. The homes that were razed are located in what was formerly known as Rae.
Patrols began at 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday to address spot fires as they occur and to hit hotspots to prevent additional flare ups in Rae.
Work is ongoing to get an aircraft overhead to size up the fire as soon as possible. Fire NWT stated that it’s critical to know what firefighters are up against when selecting the strategies and tactics for combatting the fire in a safe way and to assess any other potential risks.
“Do not return to the community,” stated Fire NWT in the Wednesday morning news release, warning that it’s not safe even though Highway 3 has reopened.
Edzo has not been compromised but the public needs to “prepare for the reality that this may happen today,” the news release states.
The Stagg River power station has been spared, as has the fibre optic line but the latter remains at risk due to the fire jumping Highway 3, according to Fire NWT.
Conditions in the area are extremely windy, heading easterly at 20-30 km an hour, gusting at 40-45 km an hour. It is hot and dry out with relative humidity expected to reach 25 per cent and temperatures are expected to be a high of 28 C.
Fire NWT predicts that the fire behavior will be extreme on Wednesday and the conditions will continue to push the blaze west, which will generate large plumes of smoke and flames that would run through the tops of trees. It was predicted that the day would be “extremely challenging” for their team of eight crews comprising 64 firefighters, a structure protection specialist, a specialized structure protection trailer, three helicopters and airtankers.
Additional updates are expected later in the day.