Canada's tallest Arctic ice hill is under threat of melting, after a bush fire destroyed one-third of the vegetation on the Ibyuk Pingo over the weekend.

Residents in nearby Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T., reported seeing the Ibyuk Pingo burning around 6 p.m. MT Sunday.

An aerial shot of the Ibyuk Pingo fire Sunday shows the blaze starting at the ice hill's base.
(Photo courtesty Jim Guthrie)

The pingo, at 49 metres high, is the tallest of the country's Arctic ice-cored hills, and is the second highest in the world. It is one of eight pingos protected by Parks Canada at its Pingo Canadian Landmark site near Tuktoyaktuk.

"The fire was burning on the pingo itself and the lowlands surrounding the pingo, in mostly willow shrubs," Inuvik forest manager Mike Gravel told CBC News on Wednesday.

"So the wind was forcing the fire around the pingo, and essentially, we just took the helicopter bucket and we were able to douse the flames quite easily."

Gravel, who led firefighting efforts, said the bush fire started at the base of the pingo, then strong winds quickly pushed it up and around the hill. It took only half an hour to stop the blaze from spreading and a day to extinguish it completely, because the ground around the pingo was still wet.

"Later in the summer, the ground would have essentially been dried and thawed, and the fire would also burn down into the ground and would have a considerable more impact on the pingo," he said.

What remained from the fire, however, was significant damage: the fire wiped out two hectares of tundra shrubs and soil covering one-third of the conical hill, leaving a charred surface.

'Any time I see a pingo, I know I'm close to home or at home.'—Tuktoyaktuk Mayor Jackie Jacobson

Parks Canada spokesperson Pat Dunn said the federal agency wants to plant new shrubs and grasses in the affected areas, but she worries that may not happen in time.

"With the vegetation gone, that insulation is also gone and the root holding the soil together is gone," she said.

"It doesn't really look that great for the pingo right now," Dunn said. "It's going to be pretty tough for the soil that's left to hang on to the surface of the pingo. If we get wind, if we get rain, it's very likely to erode off, which could lead to melting of the ice core of the pingo."

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Many suspect it may have started as a camp fire that got out of control. Gravel urged people to be careful when lighting fires.

Residents distressed over state of local landmark

Tukoyaktuk Mayor Jackie Jacobson, who was one of the first people at the scene of the blaze, said the fire scorched most of the plants all the way up the south side of the hill.

He said his residents are disturbed by the fire, wondering what it will mean for the local landmark and tourist attraction.

"It was upsetting. We were flooded with phone calls," Jacobson said Thursday.

"When you're flying into Tuk, that's the first thing you see is the pingos. So any time I see a pingo, I know I'm close to home or at home."

There are 1,350 pingos in the Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula, accounting for about one-quarter of all the conical ice hills in the world, according to Parks Canada's website.

The agency says the Ibyuk Pingo, which is 1,000 years old, continues to grow at a rate of about two centimetres a year. Other pingos range in height from five to 36 metres.

The Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula pingos were among the 52 nominees in CBC's Seven Wonders of Canada contest, garnering nearly 6,000 votes from CBC viewers and listeners.