Jean Marie River Evacuation Alert Remains in Place as Crews Battle Nearby Wildfire

Wildfire officials in the N.W.T. are hopeful that weather conditions will help keep a fire from moving closer to Jean Marie River. The community was placed under an evacuation alert over the weekend due to the 6,400-hectare FS014 fire. Crews are building a containment line and conducting structure protection work. Officials are on standby, awaiting rain to reduce fire behavior. Residents are advised to keep cars full of gas and gather important documents in case evacuation is necessary.

Wildfire officials in the Northwest Territories (N.W.T.) remain hopeful that weather conditions over the next few days will help keep the 6,400-hectare FS014 fire from moving closer to Jean Marie River. The community was placed under an evacuation alert over the weekend due to the wildfire, which is approximately 14 kilometers away from the community. As of Tuesday afternoon, the fire had not moved any closer to the community.

The evacuation alert was the second issued for Jean Marie River this summer, with the first alert being downgraded to an evacuation notice a few days after it was issued on July 7. Residents are advised to keep their cars full of gas and gather important documents in case the community needs to evacuate later.

Melanie Norwegian Menacho, the chief of Jean Marie River First Nation, stated on Tuesday that the community is on standby, awaiting further developments. "We're just on standby to see what is going to be the next step. We're hoping for rain," she said. Some First Nation members have taken to the skies in a helicopter to assess the fire's progress.

The N.W.T. Fire Department expects "extreme fire behaviour" from the FS014 fire due to dry conditions and strong winds. However, they have noted that the threat of encroachment in Jean Marie River has lessened due to the direction of the winds. Fire crews from Fort Simpson and Fort Smith are currently in Jean Marie River, installing sprinklers and conducting other structure protection work. Officials are busy building a containment line to prevent the fire from moving further south.

The community of Fort Simpson is not currently at threat from the fire, according to N.W.T. Fire officials.

References:
[1] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/jean-marie-river-on-standby-chief-says-as-crews-work-to-keep-nearby-wildfire-at-bay-1.7596989
[2] http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/jean-marie-river-on-standby-chief-says-as-crews-work-to-keep-nearby-wildfire-at-bay-1.7596989