Date(s) Summer 2014 | Cause Lightning, human error | |
Location Northwest Territories, Canada | ||
The 2014 forest fire season in the Northwest Territories of Canada is reputed to be the worst for at least two decades. As of 3 July, there had been 123 fires reported in the territory, of which at least 92 were still active and 13 were thought to be human-caused. By 9 July the total had reached 164 fires and on 10 July over 130 fires were thought to be burning. The smoke generated by the fires was blown in the Prairie Provinces and created a moderate health risk there leading Environment Canada to declare an air quality advisory for southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba on 9. July The smoke reached as far away as Bismark, North Dakota, over 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) away. By 8 July the largest fires were the Lutsel K'e fire at 31,000 hectares (77,000 acres) and the Gamèti-Wekweeti fire at 25,000 hectares (62,000 acres). By 9 July an area of 5,000 square kilometres (1,900 sq mi) had been consumed, about the size of the island of Trinidad.