The rough day predicted for firefighters battling the wildfire in Hay River came and went, but it appears the defence is holding steady.
NWT Fire’s Friday evening update showed that the fire did not progress toward any key landmark all day long and was still mapped at its estimated size of 417,359 hectares through Mike Westwick, wildfire information officer with the Department of Environment and Climate Change, stated that mapping of the fire would take place Saturday to see just how much the fire grew on Friday.
Westwick stated that helicopters and airtankers were able to go right after the fire on Friday thanks to better visibility, which managed to hold the fire from going any further across the highway in the Hay River corridor. The Hay River Fire Department and structural firefighters also went around town making sure everything was as it should be.
Cooler temperatures are expected for Saturday, but strong winds from the north-northwest between 15 and 20km/h gusting up to 40km/h are in the forecast. That’s a change from the warmer temperatures on Friday which saw winds from the southwest and west gusting up to 50 km/h.
The fire still sat 1 km west of the airport, 1 km west of the West Point First Nation and 1.5 km west of the town centre. The flames did reach the K’atl’odeeche First Nation and Westwick stated that an assessment on just how much a “finger of fire” spread on Friday.
Kakisa remains out of threat right now as the fire still sat 12 km southeast of the community.