More of N.W.T. burned by wildfires so far this season than all of last year

More of the N.W.T. has been burned from wildfires so far this season than all of last year. 

In a post on Facebook, N.W.T. Fire said 257,000 hectares have been burned already, nearly 100,000 hectares more than all of last year.

At this time last year, only 14,764 hectares had burned, according to a report by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. 

As of Sunday evening, there were 96 active wildfires and three new ones in the last 24 hours. 

The wildfire about 40 kilometres south of Wrigley has grown to 21,873 hectares in size. 

N.W.T. Fire has been doing controlled burning in the area to manage the fire. 

"This burning would extend a line of defence to an old burnt forest area where there is less chance for the fire to grow," the territorial government wrote in its wildfire update on Sunday evening. 

As of Sunday evening, both the highway and ferry previously closed are now open but the update warns "that can change quickly."

A wildfire about 10 kilometres outside Hay River has been brought under control, N.W.T. Fire wrote on Facebook. 

No communities are currently at risk, the update said.