The Fort Good Hope wildfire grew significantly, surpassing 5,400 hectares. This is the time of year when, given the right conditions, aggressive fire weather conditions will typically extend well into the evening, states media spokesperson Frank McKay.
McKay reports that today’s aggressive burning is expected to continue until mid-evening or later, particularly on the northern to southern half of the fire that is oriented away from the community, such fire behaviour is likely to generate localized smoke in the impacted zones. The winds are anticipated to maintain a light northeasterly direction before shifting to an easterly direction in the evening.
Crews, with the aid of aerial support, persist in securing the fire perimeter adjacent to the community, targeting and extinguishing hotspots and breaches beyond the containment lines. The process of blacklining the fire’s perimeter on the side facing the community, stretching from the northern to the southwestern edge, is making excellent progress. Additionally, suppression efforts by both ground crews and aerial units are ongoing at the southern tip of the airport.
Helicopter bucketing operations will continue to execute strategic water drops to slow the fire’s advancement towards the community, safeguard structures, and support ground crews, with water skimmers and airtankers ready for deployment as necessary. Efforts to suppress the fire will concentrate on the perimeter near the community, permitting the fire to burn outward and establishing a natural buffer. The protection of structures remains ongoing. A comprehensive scan of the fire perimeter is scheduled to detect any concealed hotspots. An incident management team is operational and actively coordinating the response.
