It would appear the worst-case scenario for Behchoko may have finally arrived.
An update at 8:30 from NWT Fire indicated that the gusting winds that have been swirling all day in the area has pushed the fire past what was reported earlier this afternoon. As a result, the flames have now hit the Behchoko Access Road at the Frank Channel.
That puts the fire around 5-km east of Edzo and 7-km southeast of Rae. All indications from NWT Fire are that with the wind not dying down, it’s expected that the fire will reach the community overnight.
The update also indicated that emergency crews are evacuating all remaining residents from the area and are regrouping from a new base away from the blaze. Firefighting has stopped as the focus now turns to getting people out of harm’s way.
A Facebook post from Pushp Seth, Behchoko’s senior adminstrative officer, stated that everyone still in Rae was to evacuate toward Bay Island. That was at around 9 p.m. Tuesday evening.
According to NWT Fire, structure protection has been set up east of Behchoko, which it says can provide some protection as it will wet the grounds. Structures have also been sprayed with what’s known as FireIce, a gel which is designed to stop embers from igniting a fire. Those embers are coming from Highway 3.
But NWT Fire is warning people to be ready for some property loss and the extent of the loss won’t be known until crews can safely check things out.