According to today’s latest update from Yukon Wildland Fire Management, the situation in the territory is deteriorating.

An evacuation alert has been put in place for Stewart Crossing.

“Significant lightning activity is causing multiple new fires,” reads an update from the service.

“Air tankers and helicopters are working DA-024, a new fire seven kilometres northeast of Dawson. Neither Dawson nor Moosehide are threatened, but smoke is drifting through the Klondike Valley.”

The report adds, “The MA-005 and MA-006, which are impacting the North Klondike Highway between Pelly Crossing and Stewart Crossing, have joined and will be referred to as the Wrong Lake fire, MA-006.”

Wildland Fire recommends travellers to “check Yukon 511 to find out whether the highway is open or not. An evacuation alert is in place for Stewart Crossing.”

The Yukon is receiving mutual-aid help from British Columbia. Twelve initial-attack crews and one air-tanker group are arriving in the territory and deploying to assignments.

The Yukon River Quest was briefly delayed Wednesday evening just north of Lake Laberge due to wildfire smoke.

The Whitehorse-to-Dawson City race began Wednesday morning.

Race officials planned a meeting for about noon today to determine how to handle the event from here on in.