Shifting winds helping village in Northwest Territories threatened by wildfire
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Digital Subscription
One year of digital access for only $205*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
YELLOWKNIFE – The mayor of a Northwest Territories village threatened by wildfire says shifting overnight winds helped ward off greater damage.
Fort Simpson Mayor Les Wright says a shelter-in-place order for those who did not evacuate the village has been lifted.
He says 800 people have left Fort Simpson since an evacuation order was issued Sunday, but some people left even earlier than that.
Wright says about 30 people remain behind, and officials are working to get 20 of those who want to leave to an evacuation centre in Yellowknife.
He says the shifting winds have also moved smoke away from the village of 1,300 residents.
The fire is estimated to be more than 100 square kilometres and had reached the highway west of the community on Monday night.
“With the smoke in the last couple of days, it was impossible to get up there to fight (the fire),” Wright said Tuesday.
He said the island community has been more protected due to the surrounding water, while the townsite is more susceptible to fire due to tree coverage.
“A cold front did move in and that helps with the firefighting effort and gives us a little bit of a break so we can put up structural protection,” Wright said.
“The wind is in our favour but it can change.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 30, 2026.
— By Daniela Germano in Edmonton