Antoine Lake Complex (Fort Simpson - FS016-26/FS014-26)

Antoine Lake Complex ( Fort Simpson - FS016-26/FS014-26) - July 19, 2026 – 12:00pm

Weather

Today will be cooler, with a high of 25°C. Smoke is expected to linger over the area for much of the day, which may keep temperatures slightly lower than recent days. There is a chance of light, spotty showers, mainly this morning, with the possibility continuing into the evening. North to northwest winds will be the main weather concern today, with sustained winds around 20 km/h and gusts up to 50 km/h. Overnight, temperatures will cool to around 15°C as winds gradually weaken.

Tomorrow is expected to be warm and dry, with a high of 26°C. Winds will remain light from the north to northwest, and no precipitation is expected.

Incident status

• Lingering smoke is expected to keep temperatures cooler than recent days and may help reduce fire activity. However, if the smoke clears during the day, warmer temperatures and drier conditions could lead to increased fire behaviour.
• 10 crew members are still assigned to FS014 to locate and extinguish hotspots along the perimeter of the north and east flanks of the fire. 
• Aviation resources will be utilized when visibility improves. 
• An additional 25 personnel from Alberta will be working on the Fort Simpson wildfire today. 
• Mop-up operations continue across the eastern flank of the fire and at the site of the 20 ha excursion. Crews are working to extinguish remaining hotspots, including deep ash pits and heat trapped underground in tree roots, stumps, and organic soil. This work is thorough and time-consuming but is essential to prevent the fire from reigniting and to ensure the area is safe.

Incident actions

• An infrared drone scan was completed last night, July 17, and identified a significant number of remaining hotspots. Crews will continue working to locate and extinguish these areas of heat as mop-up operations continue. Many of the spots that appeared are deep burning are require increased effort to extinguish.
• Two unit crews and an initial attack crew are assigned to the excursion that occurred July 15 and continue to mop-up on both the north and south side of Highway 1. Excavators are being utilized to open deep burning berms to allow crews to extinguish hot spots. Crews will remain in place to patrol this area and ensure no hotspots are present. 
• An initial attack crew is working on the west side of Highway 1, north of the Highway junction, to target hotspots identified by the drone scan. In addition, crews will start demobilizing gear on prior lines that have no outstanding seek and destroy hot spots. 
• South of the 4 mile road, working toward the river, two 8 pack crews from Alberta will be mopping up beyond 100ft. 
• Wildland Urban Interface crews, with the support of 8 crew members from Alberta, will continue to perform tactical patrols in all neighbourhoods. Personnel are maintaining apparatus along Highway 1, north of Fort Simpson. 
• Danger tree Assessor and Danger Tree Fallers are continuing to support wildland firefighters and Wildland Urban Interface crews with operations. 
• For Notices, Alerts, and Orders updates, visit: https://www.gov.nt.ca/.../publi.../notices-alerts-and-orders

For more information, please contact:

Sarah Hall

Wildfire Information Officer
Antoine Lake Complex
sarah.hall@gov.bc.ca | 250-318-8375