Fire temporarily closes N.W.T.'s Highway 5; still no threat to Fort Smith

The N.W.T.'s Highway 5 was temporarily closed shortly after 1:30 p.m. Sunday due to a fire burning in Wood Buffalo National Park 25 kilometres west of Fort Smith.

In an update posted to Facebook at 12:30 p.m. Fort Smith Protective Services said there was "no immediate threat to the community."

"This highway closure is going to be temporary and the fire to the north of us is being actioned and is still not posing an imminent threat," Fort Smith Fire Chief Adam McNabtold CBC Newsshortly before 4 p.m.

The Town of Fort Smith issued an evacuation notice Saturday. The notice has not yet been raised to an evacuation alert, which would be the next step, or an evacuation order.

The highway closure came two hours after a notice that the road could close imminently. The road is closed from Preble Creek Bridge to Salt Plains Access Road, essentially the southernmost portion of the road before it curves north towards Hay River.

The update from Fort Smith Protective Servicesalso warned that wind shifts could bring periods of "dense smoke and ash" into the community of about 2,600, remindingpeople to wear masks and protect themselves from smoke as required.