As season winds down, N.W.T. could send firefighters home

Firefighters from across Canada have come North to battle some of the hundreds of fires that burned in the territory this fire season, but the department says the situation is improving.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the Northwest Territories is hoping to send some firefighters home.

The manager of fire operations, Frank Lepine, says he expects to have fire 85 north of Yellowknife and the fire near Big Buffalo River under control this week.

Crews will also continue to focus on the Birch Lake Complex of fires that’s been responsible for the repeated closure of Highway 3.

“We're not dealing completely with the entire large complexes,” Lepine says. “We're just putting out certain areas and protecting values at risk. So, when we complete that we'll reduce the number of firefighters on those sites.

“We're hoping to send the firefighters we have from Ontario and Alberta home.”

Drought conditions contributed to the worst forest fire season many in the territory can remember. 

More than 300 forest fires are still burning in the territory.  

Experts say the forest fire season usually continues into September.