The southeast flank of the Fort Simpson wildfire, designated as FS016 by the government of the Northwest Territories, is seen in a Sunday, June 28, 2026, handout photo published to social media. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — NWT Fire (Mandatory Credit)
The southeast flank of the Fort Simpson wildfire, designated as FS016 by the government of the Northwest Territories, is seen in a Sunday, June 28, 2026, handout photo published to social media. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — NWT Fire (Mandatory Credit)
YELLOWKNIFE - The mayor of a Northwest Territories village threatened by wildfire says shifting overnight winds helped ward off greater damage.
Fort Simpson Mayor Les Wright says a shelter-in-place order for those who did not evacuate the village has been lifted.
He says 800 people have left Fort Simpson since an evacuation order was issued Sunday, but some people left even earlier than that.
Wright says about 30 people remain behind, and officials are working to get 20 of those who want to leave to an evacuation centre in Yellowknife.
He says the shifting winds have also moved smoke away from the village of 1,300 residents.
The fire is estimated to be more than 100 square kilometres and had reached the highway west of the community on Monday night.
"With the smoke in the last couple of days, it was impossible to get up there to fight (the fire)," Wright said Tuesday.
He said the island community has been more protected due to the surrounding water, while the townsite is more susceptible to fire due to tree coverage.Â
"A cold front did move in and that helps with the firefighting effort and gives us a little bit of a break so we can put up structural protection," Wright said.
"The wind is in our favour but it can change."
This report by ¹ú²úÓÕ»ó¸£Àû was first published June 30, 2026.
