Reid Lake campground reopens briefly for retrieval of property

Four days after Reid Lake Territorial Campground was evacuated due to an encroaching wildfire, campers are being allowed back in tonight to retrieve trailers, boats and other equipment left behind.

The Department of Transportation says there will becontrolled access to the campground from 5-9 p.m. Highway 4 remains closed to the general public at kilometre 49. Cabin owners will not be permitted to access the area.

The Reid Lake wildfire grewto 6,356hectares in size over the weekend, and destroyed Namushka Lodge Friday night.

Officials saywinds weregusting up to 50 km/hon Friday and shifted direction, pushing the fire from Reid Lake to Harding Lake, where NamushkaLodge was located.Officials say the fire made a "huge move," travelling10 kilometres on Friday.

Smoke was heavy in the area and, that, along with high winds,grounded firefighting aircraft.

Cabin burned at start of fire

Over the weekend,the department revealed Namushka Lodge was the second property to be destroyed by the Reid Lake fire.

Officials now saya cabin had burned down onPickerelLake around the timethe fire startedon Thursday night. Officials saythe wildfire started "in the cabin's vicinity," but the origin and cause are still under investigation.

Twenty firefighters fromAlberta will be coming to help fight the fire, which will make fora total of 40firefighters, two tanker groups and four helicopters working on that fire.Camp Connectionsis being used as a camp for the fire crews.

Snare fire

Twenty firefighters from Alberta will also bejoining the battle against a fire 20 kilometres from Norman Wells.

The firenear the Snare hydro systemis still out of control, but fire crews have completed value protection work, such assetting up sprinklers around wooden transmission poles and doing a burnout operation along the airstrip. That fire is now being monitored, and will likely burn all summer.

A new fire has started 11 kilometres northeast of JeanMarieRiver. Fire crews were pulled off that fire to help with others for the moment, but officials say they are working on a plan for managing it.

A fire ban remains in effect forthe City of Yellowknife, as well as all North Slave Region Territorial Parks.

ENR isalso asking people to refrain from using campfires for cooking or for keeping warm, andabsolutely no bonfires.