Shifting winds around Wrigley, N.W.T., causing fire to 'hiccup'

North·NewShifting winds around Wrigley, N.W.T.

, causing fire to 'hiccup'"So far our lines have held," say N.W.T.

Fire officials. As of Sunday, the fire remains out of control, but there have been no reports of structure loss.Winds expected to blow fire towards community but officials say that may help them gain controlJessica Davey-Quantick · CBC News · Posted: Jul 05, 2026 1:36 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoPlayListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology.

Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.Crews work on July 4 to extinguish hot spots on FS015, a fire north of Wrigley, N.

W.T., that prompted an evacuation.

(N.W.T.

Fire)Social SharingA fire outside of Wrigley, N.W.T.

, has not grown closer to the community since it forced an evacuation on June 30, but officials say winds on Sunday will be pushing it towards town. However, N.W.

T. Fire information officer Shannon Graf says that might not be a bad thing. “Every time that wind shifts, it's having to go over its old burn zone and it's running out of fuel each time …

It's slowing it down,” she said on Sunday morning. “It's giving the fire pause, it's having a hiccup.”That hiccup, according to Graf, is giving crews more time to gain control and move the fire where they want it.

“It's having to really reevaluate where it's going to go. And we're trying to control that. We are directing the fire where we want it to go,” she said.

Crews have been reinforcing the southeastern side of the fire, which is closest to the community. On Sunday and into Monday, winds are expected to be coming from the north, which will push the fire towards Wrigley. “So far our lines have held,” said Graff.

Cooler temperatures have allowed N.W.T.

Fire crews to try to gain control of FS015. This photo, from July 4, shows a crew member working on hotspots on the fire north of Wrigley. (N.

W.T. Fire)Crews have been working on treating hotspots actively with coordination from air support, including bucketing.

She said the winds may dry out available fuel for the fire, which creates the possibility of flair ups, but the cooler weather has given firefighters the chance to reassess strategies. So far, Graf said, there have been no losses of cabins or structures. Structure protection crews will be wrapping up their final loop this afternoon and setting up sprinkler systems.

Elsewhere, crews have been looking for opportunities to intentionally burn vegetation and starve the fire of fuel. Heavy equipment has also been widening the fire break on the northeastern side of the community. “They're cleaning it up a bit, going down to the dirt or mineral soil so that there's no more fuel in there,” she said.

“The fire is going to have a really hard time crossing that.”There are no updates yet on when Wrigley residents can expect to return home. “We're making very good progress.

This fire is not out. It's still a serious situation. It is not under control,” Graf said.

“It may seem like we're going slowly, but slow is smooth and smooth is fast. And that's the way we're treating this fire.”ABOUT THE AUTHORJessica Davey-QuantickJessica Davey-Quantick has been reporting in the North since 2016.

You can reach her at jessica.davey-quantick@cbc.ca.

CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices·About CBC NewsCorrections and clarifications·Submit a news tip·Report errorRelated StoriesFire outside Wrigley, N.W.T.

grows, but doesn’t move closer to communityHis art studio burned down in a 2023 wildfire. Now his community has evacuated againFort Smith welcomes evacuees from Wrigley as wildfire encroaches on community North·NewShifting winds around Wrigley, N.W.

T., causing fire to 'hiccup'"So far our lines have held," say N.W.

T. Fire officials. As of Sunday, the fire remains out of control, but there have been no reports of structure loss.

Winds expected to blow fire towards community but officials say that may help them gain controlJessica Davey-Quantick · CBC News · Posted: Jul 05, 2026 1:36 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoPlayListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.

Crews work on July 4 to extinguish hot spots on FS015, a fire north of Wrigley, N.W.T.

, that prompted an evacuation. (N.W.

T. Fire)Social SharingA fire outside of Wrigley, N.W.

T., has not grown closer to the community since it forced an evacuation on June 30, but officials say winds on Sunday will be pushing it towards town. However, N.

W.T. Fire information officer Shannon Graf says that might not be a bad thing.

“Every time that wind shifts, it's having to go over its old burn zone and it's running out of fuel each time … It's slowing it down,” she said on Sunday morning. “It's giving the fire pause, it's having a hiccup.”

That hiccup, according to Gra