Northwest Territory Residents Allowed to Return, but Wildfire Flare-Ups and Challenges Remain

Canadians returning to Yellowknife, Dettah, and Ndilǫ this week can expect to see fires in the area flare up in the coming weeks, the Northwest Territory’s (NWT) minister of environment and climate change has said, according to CBC News (9-4-23).

The phased re-entry is a massive undertaking, with residents choosing either to return on flights organized by the territorial government or by vehicle. However, the territorial government is cautioning people to think carefully about returning as it may take days, if not weeks, in some cases, to get services back up and running.

According to NWT Fire, the wildfires between Yellowknife and Behchokǫ̀, as well as the one along the Ingraham trail, are being held, meaning they are no longer considered out of control but are not completely under control either.

In an interview with CBC News Network on Monday, Minister Shane Thompson said that there had been more than 220 hot spots on the fire between Yellowknife and Behchokǫ̀ and 160 on the Ingraham Trail fire. Thompson added that those fires will continue to flare up “until probably the first snowfall.” He also said that they might flare up again sometime in the springtime after hibernating through the winter—referencing the way fire can burn deep in the ground, even when it is well below freezing above the ground.