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Jean Marie River is now on evacuation alert over the progress of wildfire FS014 to the northwest.
The same fire, burning for months, has come close to the Dehcho community multiple times over the summer. Jean Marie River was previously on evacuation notice.
Evacuation alert is the second tier of a three-tier system, one below an evacuation order.
Tuesday’s alert is a “notification of the potential danger which might arise,” the Jean Marie River First Nation wrote online, “and the possibility of having to evacuate on short notice.”
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Residents are told to “be aware and prepare.” NWT Fire said strong winds are expected on Wednesday that could blow FS014 closer to Jean Marie River.
Elsewhere, NWT Fire is beginning a planned ignition in Fort Providence to try to give the hamlet more protection against nearby wildfire SS014.
“The team is using favourable southeast winds to get an ignition operation under way,” the agency stated at 3:30pm. By helicopter, crews are “carefully burning off vegetation in the fire’s path towards the community.” (Originally, NWT Fire said hand torches were also being used, but later corrected itself and said that isn’t the case.)
SS014 – which began in early July – has come within a kilometre of Fort Providence, triggering an evacuation of almost everyone except firefighters.
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No homes in Fort Providence are reported to have been lost.
Earlier, police in Fort Providence called on remaining residents to respect the evacuation order issued on Sunday and leave as soon as possible.
Wildfire smoke over Fort Providence on August 30, 2025. Photo: Thorsten Gohl
“Concerningly, Fort Providence detachment continues to receive calls for service from those who remain in the community. These calls create unneeded risks and hinder the efforts of firefighting personnel working to keep the community safe,” RCMP stated on Tuesday.
“The safety of residents is our top priority and we urge those who have not yet evacuated to do so immediately.”
At 2pm, NWT Fire said “favourable winds have dominated the fire throughout the day” and it had not moved closer to Fort Providence.
The road outside Whatì is seen in a photo published by Shaun Moosenose on September 1, 2025.
Outside Whatì, which has also been evacuated, fire ZF048 remains seven kilometres from the community airstrip.
Crews have been working to build an expanded fire break and are improving structure protection where they can. “There remains a risk to the community of Whatì until the perimeter of the ignition line is fully assessed and secured,” NWT Fire stated.
On Tuesday afternoon, the agency said crews were working to “ensure the break will hold and that the wildfire threat will pass Whatì,” but directly attacking the fire was out of the question for the time being “due to the size of the fire front and expected weather conditions.”
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Yellowknife, Behchokǫ̀ and Hay River are all housing evacuees from the Fort Providence and Whatì fires. Whatì was ordered to evacuate on Friday and Fort Providence on Sunday.
Highway 3 between Behchokǫ̀ and Fort Providence – the only road connecting Yellowknife and Behchokǫ̀ to the south – was open as of Tuesday afternoon. The highway to Whatì and the access road into Fort Providence remain closed.
Live updates were brought to you on this page throughout the day. They’re shown below, latest update first.
We’re closing down live updates for the night, but we’ll be back with the same service on Wednesday, as well as more reporting on those Michael McLeod remarks. Have a good night.
Needless to say, we have approached all parties involved in that exchange for comment.
Michael McLeod is from Fort Providence, which is important information if you weren’t already aware (see below). He was the NWT’s MP from 2015 until 2025, being replaced by fellow Liberal Rebecca Alty earlier this year.
This video has been viewed 13,000 times in four hours. It shows former NWT MP (and former MLA) Michael McLeod tearing into territorial government ministers at a community meeting.
McLeod asks if the GNWT will consider handing responsibility for firefighting to the federal government “so they will help us.”
“You guys are providing us with nothing to prevent fires,” McLeod says. “Nothing. Not one drop of fire retardant in my community … that’s an embarrassment.” (Not all of the audio is easy to transcribe with certainty, and the video doesn’t show whether any ministers responded.)
Premier RJ Simpson and communities minister Vince McKay are shown in the video in the room at the time. There may have been others present.
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A couple of minor updates on fires in the Yellowknife area.
The fire on Tin Can Hill yesterday has earned itself the identifer ZF056. It was human-caused and is now listed as under control. The abandoned campfire from earlier today near the Yellowknife River bridge is labelled ZF055 and crews are working to contain it.
Rio Tinto’s Diavik mine is sponsoring free access to Yellowknife’s pool for evacuees. Details from the city here.
NWT Fire has released an update on ZF048 outside Whatì.
“While the fire is not expected to reach the community today, it has seen, and may continue to see, significant growth to the south. We urge people to allow crews to continue working on containing this fire to ensure it is safe when residents return,” the agency stated. No losses of cabins or homes have been recorded.
“Air support continues to make drops at the fire’s north and east flanks to reduce wildfire intensity and slow potential growth towards the community. Crews are maintaining structure protection at the community’s edge and around residential areas, with sprinklers being run periodically throughout the day to ensure the system is ready to run should fire encroach,” the update continued.
“Mopping up the ignition line along the La Martre River is a priority to ensure the break will hold and that the wildfire threat will pass Whatì. Direct attack with crews is currently unsafe and ineffective due to the size of the fire front and expected weather conditions.”
Hay River says it’s working on a bingo, handgames and other activities for Fort Providence evacuees in the town.
More than 600 evacuees have registered there, according to a municipal update in the past hour (the mayor estimated more than 400 earlier). About 160 people are sleeping at the community centre and more than 550 meals were served there today, the town stated. An emergency kennel with 20 pens is being set up.
Clean blankets, pillows and “grab-and-go type foods” are being accepted as donations at the community centre.
A little more from NWT Fire on FS014: “The community of Fort Simpson and the ferry landing are currently not at threat due to this fire.
“Winds will steadily increase by tonight from the north northwest and into tomorrow morning. The relative humidity is expected to reach up to 70% today, which may help slow the fire, but by Wednesday, winds will increase up to 54km/h.”
Some quick NWT Fire analysis of what’s going on with wildfire FS014, which just triggered an evacuation alert in Jean Marie River:
“Jean Marie River announced an evacuation alert this afternoon due to the potential of fire FS014 moving closer to the community. The fire remains 15 km northwest from Jean Marie River, but strong winds are expected tomorrow, which could blow the fire closer to the community,” wildfire information officer Dana Bowen wrote.
“Air support are making drops to slow the fire’s progress towards Jean Marie River when visibility allows. A team is there to maintain sprinklers and structure protection around the community.”
We’re keeping an eye out for updates about the Fort Simpson and highway side of that fire, too.
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