The owners of Hearne Lake Lodge are preparing their property for a wildfire that could reach it by July 6.
The lodge, about 60 kilometres east of Yellowknife, has survived close calls in the past, including in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2023.
Edie Yoder, the lodge’s owner, spoke with CBC News by satellite phone from her property.
“We’re feeling very stressed, of course. I mean, this is our life and it’s a beautiful area [we’ve] worked hard to protect and to welcome guests from around the world to come in here,” Yoder said.
“I think we both have some PTSD from the fire, especially in 2014, that almost caused us to lose the lodge.”
There are two fires threatening Hearne Lake Lodge: one near the south end of Campbell Lake and another about three kilometres east of Watta Lake.
Mike Westwick, manager of wildfire prevention and mitigation for the N.W.T. government, said the fires were started by lightning that struck in late June or early July.
The fires have grown significantly in recent days due to high winds and dry conditions.
Westwick said the closest fire is within 10 kilometres of the lodge.
He said the Watta Lake fire is the one they’re most concerned about, as there are also lodges there. He added there are cabins on Campbell Lake as well.
N.W.T. Fire has urged people in the area to leave, with the fires expected to reach properties in that area within days. Yoder said they plan to stay in the vicinity and continue to refill the fuel tank on the water tank to ensure the sprinklers keep running.
Yoder said they have a plan to head to an island and set up a tent in case they need to leave the lodge quickly.
“We’re packing up important documents and whatnot incase we do have a fire reach us,” she said.
She said although the lodge has survived numerous past fires, the burn area doesn’t completely protect her property.
“This area that it would would come through towards us has not burned,” she said.
“It’ll almost be a clear path for the fire if the winds change.”
She said their main line of defence is a sprinkler system they’ve set up.
“We’ll run it for at least an hour to soak down the grounds and build up a moisture as an extra step with protection,” she said.
Yoder said on Friday morning that there had been some rain, which gave them some hope.
Yoder said Hearne Lake Lodge is a small lodge that her and her partner have poured “their heart, soul and life savings into it.” They’ve been there since 2011.
Due to the intensity of the fires on Thursday, crews needed to be pulled off directly attacking the fire. Instead those resources are being used to protect structures in the area.
Westwick said this is done for safety, but also because the intensity of the fires makes directly attacking them ineffective.
