Campfire ignites makeshift camp off Yellowknife's Niven Lake Trail

A makeshift campoff the NivenLake Trail in Yellowknife caught fire last night, sending up smoke visible from some parts of the city.

Tarps and makeshift furniture were on firelikely the result of acooking fire that became out of controlsays the Yellowknife fire department.

Firefightersran a hose to the area between the Explorer Hotel and theNivenLake apartments, and were able to put out the flames.

City clearing brush near trails

The fire came after officials spent yesterday clearing brush anddoing other wildfire preventionwork along the Frame Lake Trail as part of its FireSmartprogram.

"Doing that work will help crews be able to stabilize the area," DennisMarchiori, the city's director of public safety.

"It doesn't fully stop a forest fire, because a forest fire with the heat that's behind it is going to keep rolling, but it allows you to have a defensible position.It will allow the Yellowknife fire division to go in there and set up any hoses, or any work we would need to do to prep for that area."

Marchiori says it will take 10 or 11 years to FireSmart the entire city.

The next areathe city will work on isnear Parker Park,in the Range Lake neighbourhood.