Reid Lake fire prompts campground evacuation order

Thefire at Reid Lake is now within four kilometresof the campground and one kilometre of Highway 4, theIngraham Trail, according to a Facebook update fromthe N.W.T. government.

The government issued an evacuation order for the Reid Lake campground due to wildfire earlier today.

On Wednesday evening, the government also issued a voluntary evacuation owner for cabins at nearby Pickerel Lake.

All campers are encouraged to remove their belongings by 3p.m. this afternoon, said a statement from NWT Parks,which also warned that time could change if the situation worsens. After 3p.m., the campground will be closed until further notice.

Highway 4 remains closed from the campgroundtoTibbittLake, at the end of theIngrahamTrail.

"The area is critically dry and fire behaviour is expected to be extreme today and tomorrow," reads the latest statement from the N.W.T. government. "A Values at Risk Protection Unit is placing pumps and sprinklers on cabins in the area. Additional resources are arriving today to assist with the suppression efforts."

On Tuesday afternoon, during a conference call updating reporters on the territory's wildfire situation, duty officer Mike Gravel said that the wildfire wasbeing fought by 30 fire crew members, three helicopters, and most of the territory's air tanker fleet.At that point, according to Gravel, the fire had grown to approximately 20,000 hectares.

Smoke from the fire has lingered over Yellowknife since early Wednesday morning. It's likely to remain an issue for the next few mornings, but should clear by noon as the day heats up.

No rain is forecasted for Yellowknife in the next four to five days.

The campground at Reid Lake, about 50 kilometres north of Yellowknife,contains 65 campsites and 11 tent pads. On Tuesday afternoon, Gravel said that the campsite was not full. Gravel also said firefighters were taking up residence at the site as they fought the fire.

As of Tuesday night, the fire was approximately one kilometre away from approximately a dozen cabins located on the lake.Maureen Tonge, who owns a cabin on the lake, saidthat she is hearing the fire has moved even closer.

"It just kept changing and spreading," she said, "and it seemed like for the first almost two weeks there was not much attention paid to it, I think because it wasn't fully understood how quickly it would spread."

Tonge, who has removed all her valuables from her property, said that cabin owners on Reid Lake were not given the same notice to evacuate as campground attendees. On Tuesday night, she said that her husband was given a phone call by a government spokespersonsaying there "was concern for the cabins.

"I just really hope the rest of the folks that have cabins out on the lake are able get out there and retrieve anything they need to, that they consider particularly valuable," she said.

CBC North's Hilary Birdtook a video Tuesday night at the Reid Lake cabins, near the campground. In the video, large amounts of smoke and flames are visible near the lake's edge.

The CBC has made multiple requests to interview aDepartment of Environment and Natural Resources representative about the Reid Lake fire situation.Our requests so far havebeen denied.