A spring wildfire has destroyed two structures along Highway 1, NWT Fire advised on Sunday afternoon.
The types of structures and their exact locations were not disclosed in an update issued Sunday.
In the Dehcho region, an overwinter fire, labelled FS004 and spreading between the Fort Providence junctions of Highway 1 and Highway 7, continues to burn on both sides of Highway 1. It has moved east into the South Slave region. The fire is now 70 km northwest of Jean Marie River. Numerous assets along the highway are under threat.
Crews and heavy machinery are being airlifted to limit the fire’s eastern expansion. Although Highway 1 remains open between kilometres 188 and 375, it may be closed again without warning, according to NWT Fire. However, Highway 1 was closed between km 0 and km 84, as of 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.
The public is encouraged to monitor road conditions on the NWT Highways website before travelling.
The fire southwest of Fort Liard, known as FS002, is now producing heavy smoke from B.C., causing low visibility that has made it unsafe for crews to take action from the air. Personnel will be using boats to continue fighting the fire and prevent it from spreading to the river’s eastern side, NWT Fire stated.
A potential human-caused fire, less than one hectare in size, has been found around 9 km northwest of Enterprise. Heavy equipment and a crew are working on the blaze, which is not currently posing risks to the communities, cabins or infrastructure. Crews are working close to the border to protect any assets, according to Sunday's update.
A fire ban on open flames on all public and private lands in the South Slave region remains in effect until May 17 and will be extended if necessary, NWT Fire noted..