A wildfire burning 12 kilometres outside of Inuvik is holding at 35,583 hectares in size, but NWT Fire says it expects it to move away from Inuvik in the coming days.
As of 10:30 a..m. Aug. 14, the fire remains 12 kilometres away.
”Temperatures dropped to single digits overnight with scattered precipitation, which helped crews and slowed the fire’s spread for the second night in a row,” reads the update. “Today winds are expected to shift, and push the head of the fire away from Inuvik.
“Four fire crews and helicopters are doing reconnaissance on the north side of the fire, and assessing value protection needs. “
There was confusion Aug. 12 when an update from NWT Fire stated that “Inuvik has issued an evacuation notice due to this wildfire. All residents should be ready to leave on short notice” which is the language used for Level 2 evacuation notice. However, the town remains at Level 1 or Evacuation Notice/Advisory - meaning residents “need to be aware of an increased risk to the community due to wildfire in the area, and to be prepared.”
The NWT Wildfire Update website still states that residents should be ready to leave on short notice as of 10:30 a.m., Aug. 14 - however a note has been added saying “The Evacuation Notice remains in place and has not been escalated. “
The Town of Inuvik is asking all residents to do the following:
1. Review your household emergency plan
2. Ensure you have an emergency kit
3. Pre-register on the Evacuee Registration Portal