'Slap in the face' say Fort Smith, N.W.T., residents of fireworks set off in community during fire ban

Joscelyn Croft woke from a deep sleep to what she thought was gunshots in her community. 

After hearing the repeated banging, the Fort Smith resident realized the sound was actually fireworks — and her panic turned to anger. 

"It's very unnerving and kind of disheartening to know that someone cares more about the enjoyment of fireworks or being a rebel…than they do the people of the town" said Croft.

She said the potential consequences of setting off the fireworks in Fort Smith could lead to a wildfire, which would be catastrophic. 

There's currently a fire ban in place for the North and South Slave regions. People aren't allowed to have open outdoor fires, including those in a fire pit or burn barrel. The use of fireworks or firecrackers is also prohibited. As of Friday evening, there were 200 active wildfires in the Northwest Territories. 

One of them is burning out of control 23 kilometres north of Fort Smith, and is approximately 84,000 hectares in size.  

There are also fires surrounding the town of Fort Smith, and the community is currently under an evacuation notice. 

Despite the wildfires, and the fire ban in place, fireworks are still being set off. 

On Friday, Aug. 4, RCMP laid charges against two men they identified as having set off fireworks.  

Earlier that week, police received numerous reports of fireworks being set off and found a smoking box that dispersed the fireworks in the northern part of the town. 

Croft said hearing fireworks being set off makes her feel like people are blatantly disregarding the safety of the town. 

"It's scary that we have people in town that would would go that far with all the big fires we have here," she said. 

She also said she mainly feels bad for the firefighters who work to help keep the town safe. 

"The fact that they're putting in those long hours and there are still people who kind of can't wrap it around their head, the danger they could potentially be putting a lot of people in," she said. 

Adam McNab, Fort Smith's director of protective services and fire chief, says the fireworks within the community would be an immediate hazard to everyone in town. He said the town's pool of firefighters is reduced with people either taking time off, or are out working on wildfires. 

"Any unnecessary fire that's caused by activities like lighting off fireworks in our community would definitely add an unnecessary strain to our already short-benched fire department," he said. 

"We have a lack of resources in the community given the time of year and the fact that many of our volunteers are already out working wildfires." 

Thomas Koidhis is another Fort Smith resident who heard the sound of fireworks going off on Wednesday morning. 

"The first few pops I thought I was hearing a gun, but just the regularity of them I eventually realized it was fireworks," he said. "In a way I don't know which is more concerning."  

He said people are angry the fireworks are being set off. He said the smoke caused by wildfires has already caused him to have difficulty breathing. 

"I have asthma, I'm like choking on the smoke, so yeah it's a little bit of a slap in the face," he said. 

He said he also worries about this and his children's safety. 

The fire ban has been extended to at least Aug. 11.