N.W.T.'s Madeline Lake fire reaches 8 hectares

N.W.T.'s first wildfire of the season continues to burn near Madeline Lake, growing to eight hectares over the weekend — about the same size as 13 football fields.

The fire began on Saturday about 25 kilometres east of Yellowknife, near the Ingraham Trail.

Three crews are fighting it. It's currently classified as "being held" and fire officials hope to get it under control within the next few days.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Last year a number of fires early in the season were flare-ups from fires that had burned underground all winter long.

This year, fire officials say they don't expect many of those but they are on the lookout, especially in the Reid Lake area of the Ingraham Trail where one of the largest fires burned last year.

Officials say that fire continued to burn into January. Crews were sent out late last week to check on the burn area but no visible signs of a flare-up have been reported.

The N.W.T.'s new interactive online fire map launched Monday, and the site includes other fire-related information such as how to protect property from wildfires and the heath effects of smoke.