Fort Simpson spared the worst overnight after wildfire stopped on edge of town

A shift in winds overnight has spared Fort Simpson, N.W.T., from the worst impacts of a vast, out-of-control wildfire that forced an evacuation of the town Sunday.

In an update issued at 10:30 p.m., fire officials said the wildfire near Fort Simpson designated FS016 had grown to more than 10,000 hectares in size and reached the highway west of the community.

Thick smoke prevented aircraft from bombarding the area with water throughout the evening, and poor visibility and unpredictable fire behaviour limited the work of ground crews. A shelter-in-place order was issued to residents who had not already evacuated to Yellowknife.

“There were a few times where it was as close as it could get, almost, to the town site, without actually entering the town,” Forrest Tower, the fire information officer responsible for the Fort Simpson fire, told The Trailbreaker Tuesday morning.

Gilbert and Mary Jane Cazon, who stayed behind in Fort Simpson, told CBC’s The Trailbreaker that heavy smoke blacked out the sky from 6 p.m. Monday night as winds whipped in the direction of the community.

“That’s when it dawned on me that there was really a fire that was very close,” said Mary Jane. “I panicked a little bit … I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, the fire is coming down the hill.’”

“It’s the first time I’ve seen [street]lights come on … in the middle of summer,” said Gilbert.

“Luckily, we had wind shift in our favour, and sort of steered that fire away from the town,” Tower said.

As of early Tuesday morning, a “cool wind” was blowing over the town, according to Fort Simpson Mayor Les Wright, and the heavy smoke had cleared from the air.

It was “quite a lucky situation last night for the town,” Tower said.

Currently, eight air tankers, two planes, nine helicopters and more than 40 wildland firefighters are assigned to the fire.

With the smoke cleared, firefighters are hoping to be able to more aggressively tackle the edges of the blaze where it has come closest to the town, using controlled ignition and bombardment from the air.

“There’s a lot less smoke in the area than there was yesterday,” said Tower. Firefighters now have good access to the fire in some areas. “It almost makes it ideal for firefighting right now … We have a good control angle to work off of.”

Wright said specialist contractors were in town from Hay River and Fort Smith to help set up protective measures for structures in town, limiting the risk of fire spreading.

Tower said there remains “quite a lot of work to be done” and returning to the town is a remote possibility while exit routes could still be endangered by fires.

“We don’t want people to come back into the village and then be cut off,” he said.

The road out of Fort Simpson in both directions remains currently closed, as are ferries connecting the highway on both routes.

The local health centre has also closed, offering emergency medical service for firefighting personnel and emergency responders only.

Evacuees are currently being housed in Yellowknife, where accommodations are in short supply. Many are still staying on cots at the Yellowknife Multiplex.

The City of Yellowknife announced it would offer free public transit to all registered evacuees Tuesday.

New fires identified by Monday evening encroached on Highway 7, a key route south out of the territory.

Both Highway 7 and Highway 1 north of its junction with Highway 7 have been forced closed by wildfires.

Over 100 wildfires are currently burning across the territory. Hot, dry conditions and frequent lightning strikes from storms continue to worsen fire conditions across the territory.