Reid Lake campground reopens briefly for retrieval of property
Officials say fire began Thursday in vicinity of cabin on Pickerel Lake
Four days after Reid Lake Territorial Campground was evacuated due to an encroaching wildfire, campers are being allowed back in tonight to retrieve trailers, boats and other equipment left behind.
The Department of Transportation says there will be controlled access to the campground from 5-9 p.m. Highway 4 remains closed to the general public at kilometre 49. Cabin owners will not be permitted to access the area.
The Reid Lake wildfire grew to 6,356 hectares in size over the weekend, and destroyed Namushka Lodge Friday night.
Officials say winds were gusting up to 50 km/h on Friday and shifted direction, pushing the fire from Reid Lake to Harding Lake, where Namushka Lodge was located. Officials say the fire made a "huge move," travelling 10 kilometres on Friday.
Smoke was heavy in the area and, that, along with high winds, grounded firefighting aircraft.
Cabin burned at start of fire
Over the weekend, the department revealed Namushka Lodge was the second property to be destroyed by the Reid Lake fire.
Officials now say a cabin had burned down on Pickerel Lake around the time the fire started on Thursday night. Officials say the wildfire started "in the cabin's vicinity," but the origin and cause are still under investigation.
Twenty firefighters from Alberta will be coming to help fight the fire, which will make for a total of 40 firefighters, two tanker groups and four helicopters working on that fire. Camp Connections is being used as a camp for the fire crews.
Snare fire
Twenty firefighters from Alberta will also be joining the battle against a fire 20 kilometres from Norman Wells.
The fire near the Snare hydro system is still out of control, but fire crews have completed value protection work, such as setting up sprinklers around wooden transmission poles and doing a burnout operation along the airstrip. That fire is now being monitored, and will likely burn all summer.
A new fire has started 11 kilometres northeast of Jean Marie River. Fire crews were pulled off that fire to help with others for the moment, but officials say they are working on a plan for managing it.
A fire ban remains in effect for the City of Yellowknife, as well as all North Slave Region Territorial Parks.
ENR is also asking people to refrain from using campfires for cooking or for keeping warm, and absolutely no bonfires.