Firefighters have laid sprinklers in Jean Marie River in anticipation of a potential evacuation due to a wildfire burning 20 kilometres from the community.
"Last night we mobilized a team of structure protection specialists to prepare Jean Marie River to be protected ahead of the Northwest wind event today," stated NWT Fire on their social media feed Wednesday. "A perimeter of wet line has been set along the North end of the community.
"We will continue to work to minimize fire growth in the bush, while being proactive to keep Jean Marie River safe should the fire exceed control efforts."
Currently 4,147 hectares in size, wildfire FS014-25 remains out of control according to NWT Fire. The GNWT stated five fire crews, two helicopters and an incident management team have been deployed to combat the blaze.
Jean Marie River held a community meeting on Tuesday to update residents of the situation and issued a public service announcement on their social media feed.
"This is currently an alert to prepare," the First Nation posted to their social media feed on July 9. "If you need to evacuate, an order will be issued with further information.
"Winds are expected this afternoon, which could cause the fire to flare up. There are several GNWT ground and air crews monitoring and working on the fire.
"In addition, there are ECC Structure Protection Specialists and Hay River Fire Department Members working on fire protection methods, such as setting up sprinkler systems, preparing equipment, eliminating fuel sources (grass, brush, personal property around homes, etc..) and doing all they can with our Public Works Department to help protect the community.
"A small firebreak will be constructed around the water reservoir, , residents will see this work begin today. While all this work may seem intimidating and scary, please know these efforts are all protection efforts. The community is NOT being evacuated. If you need to evacuate, an order will be issued with further information. The Band will do its best to keep residents informed and up to date on the situation, but we also ask that you please make efforts to stay informed, as well."
