N.W.T.'s 2017 fire season should be 'relatively quiet' after June, says researcher

The N.W.T. is looking at a cooler, milder fire season after a late start to spring this year.

Kerry Anderson, a fire research scientist with Natural Resources Canada, says this won't be a "terribly exceptional" summer for the territory.

The only caveat is June.

The territory is looking at temperatures two or three degrees above average for the month, and Anderson expects some fire activity will pick up at that time.

"This may carry over a bit into July for the Yellowknife, Fort Smith area[s] but afterwards it will likely subside," he said. "After we get over this hump we might actually coast into a relatively quiet fire season."

Threeyears ago, the N.W.T. experienced one of its worst fire seasons on record.In 2014, 385 fires burned in the territory57 per cent more than averageand burned 3.4 million hectares of land.

• 2014 N.W.T. fire season report: What you need to know
• N.W.T. experiencing one of its worst fire seasons ever

"We're not seeing anything like that shaping up for this summer," Anderson said.

When asked about conditions near Fort McMurray, Alta., the site of a massive wildfire last year that engulfed much of the community, Anderson saidhe expects there won'tbe any holdover fires from last season,as the ground is too wet.

• Low risk of major wildfire in Fort McMurray this summer, researcher says