There’s a reprieve in the current wildfire situation across the territory.
That’s the upshot of a technical briefing provided Wednesday afternoon by Yukon Wildland Fire Management officials and Community Services Minister Richard Mostyn.
Mike Fancie, one of the Wildland Fire managers, told a number of reporters during the briefing there have been “several successes recently” in combating fires, particularly in the central Yukon around Mayo and Stewart Crossing.
The most serious fires have been reported in those areas, prompting several evacuation notices that did not escalate into full-scale emergencies.
The North Klondike Highway was substantially impacted by the situation, closing for prolonged periods beginning the evening of June 20.
Fancie noted the alerts have been lifted across the Yukon, as well as fire restrictions.
There have been 34 full-response fires burning around the territory, he said. Twenty-nine are now out, and the remaining five have been contained.
There’s no expectation of either extremely hot weather or abnormally rainy weather in the next two weeks, Fancie said.
That doesn’t mean, though, that the worst of the season is over, he added. There’s still “a lot of opportunity” for fires to start, he cautioned.
“We could be right back into it,” he said. “There’s a couple of weeks of potential.”
There will also be a prescribed burn happening in the Stewart Crossing area very soon, Fancie said.
That could cause some delays for travellers, but no major disruption is expected on the highway.
Premier Ranj Pillai, Mostyn and Wildland Fire Management also sent “our deepest condolences to the Northwest Territories” following the June 28 death of a helicopter pilot fighting a wildfire in the Fort Good Hope region.
“Flags at Yukon Wildland Fire Management have been set to half-mast in honour of Tom Frith,” they said Wednesday. “We offer our condolences to his colleagues and loved ones after this loss.
“On behalf of all Yukoners, thank you to everyone fighting wildfires in the North and across Canada, whether on the ground or in the air. We are grateful for the work you do every day to keep people safe.”
