Evacuation alert issued for Fort Smith, N.W.T., due to wildfire
Fort Smith Protective Services said winds are pushing a fire in Wood Buffalo National Park north
The Town of Fort Smith, N.W.T., issued an evacuation alert shortly before 5 p.m. Friday due to a wildfire burning in Wood Buffalo National Park.
Fort Smith Protective Services said in a Facebook post that winds from the southeast are pushing the fire, called Fire 7, north.
"Given forecasted fire behaviour and spread over the next several days, Fire 7 may spread north toward Fort Smith," says the post.
An evacuation alert means people in the area should be ready to leave on short notice, and may be asked to consider leaving voluntarily, says Fort Smith Protective Services.
The town is not currently under an evacuation order.
The fire is still "a distance still from the community," said N.W.T. Fire information officer Jessica Davey-Quantick.
"The issue is that ... it could cross over to the highway and impact highway conditions, which could impact evacuation routes in and out of the community," she said.
"So this [alert] has been issued out of an abundance of caution to help people get prepared."
There are 134 personnel and 10 helicopters currently fighting the concerning group of fires, as well as Parks Canada crews, said Davey-Quantick. N.W.T. Fire crews are also setting up sprinklers around Salt River First Nation to protect values at risk.
Prepare emergency kit, follow news sources
People in the Fort Smith are encouraged to have an emergency kit ready, and to listen to the radio and follow news sources for directions from local emergency officials.
People can get more information on how to prepare for an evacuation by visiting the town's website, Facebook page, and by visiting the town hall or the town's recreation centre.
There are three other evacuation alerts in the Northwest Territories right now.
One is for the property owners between kilometres 284 and 306 on Highway 3, another is for Behchokǫ̀ residents in Edzo and Frank Channel, and the third is for Kakisa residents.
There are currently more than 220 active fires in the N.W.T.