The fire burning approximately 19 km southwest of Fort Liard remains out of control.

Winds gusted to 20 km/h yesterday, moving south to southwest, and that brought warmer air with temperatures expected to reach 18 C on Sunday, according to GNWT fire information officer Mike Westwick. 

With clear skies and low moisture, this leads to more intense fire activity in unburned areas in the fire zone.

Westwick said crews from across the territory, including the Sahtu, North Slave and Beaufort Delta, have arrived to help attack the fire, known as FS002, to ensure the safety of the community. Additionally, crews from Yukon are expected to arrive later this week to assist.

Personnel are currently focusing on preventing the blaze from jumping east of the Liard River by limiting growth on the west side of the river. At the same time, proactive structure protection in Fort Liard is also being undertaken.

In the past three days, Westwick said the fire has not grown significantly nor burned closer to the community, and no structure loss has been reported related to this wildfire.

He added that helicopters will continue to douse the flames.