N.W.T. to send up to 100 firefighters home this week
As many as 100 firefighters from outside the N.W.T. could be sent home by the end of the week
Firefighters in the territory are breathing a little easier heading into this week now that cooler weather, and a little rain has helped stall some of the bigger fires.
Mike Gravel, manager of the N.W.T.'s forest management services, says they're now planning to send about 100 out-of-territory firefighters home by the end of the week.
The Paradise complex near Hay River continues to be their biggest concern, Gravel says.
That's mostly because it remains the closest to homes, cabins and other valuable property, but the fire itself is not proving to be particularly difficult for crews to keep under control.
3x more rain needed
About 8 mm of rain fell in the Yellowknife area Monday. That will stall fires for a day or two, says Gravel, but what's really needed is closer to 25 mm.
There are currently about 130 fires burning in the territory, including the one near Hearne Lake, where crews have completed most of a burn off operation.
Ten men and two helicopters are still working on what Gravel calls a "mop up" operation. He says they've been working with the owners of two lodges in the area to fire-safe their properties.
While there are more fires burning this year, Gravel says the total area burning is much smaller than 2014, when firefighters experienced "extreme fire behaviour."
It's been just as dry, he says, or drier, but with less wind and a few more occasional showers.