Department of Community Services
2003 - Yukon Wildfire Bulletins
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Current Fire Danger Ratings Wildfire Bulletin #6 May 26, 2003 - 11:30 AM FIREFIGHTERS AND PUBLIC EXTINGUISH THREE WEEKEND FIRES WHITEHORSE - Yukon Wildland Fire Management personnel, along with local fire departments, responded to three human caused fires over the weekend. On Saturday, a four-person contract crew and a helicopter responded to a 0.5 hectare fire located in between Ross River and Faro along the Pelly River. The fire had spread from an abandoned campfire. The fire was fully extinguished by 6 p.m. Sunday evening. Meanwhile, an observant citizen notified authorities on Saturday of a spot fire in the Golden Horn subdivision, where a property owner was burning debris on his land. Mike Sparks, Yukon Duty Officer, says the man had a burning permit, but had not taken adequate care to contain the fire in a safe spot. "It could have been serious," says Sparks. "The fire had a chance to escape." The Golden Horn Volunteer Fire Department responded to the call, along with a four-person initial attack crew. Once the fire was contained the crews left it to the owner to deal with. Other observant citizens on the Hidden Lake Road responded to an abandoned campfire that had gotten out of control around noon on Sunday. When a four-person initial attack crew and a Whitehorse City fire crew arrived, the citizens were hard at work putting out the spot fire. The fire was quickly contained. There have been a total of 14 fires in the territory this season that have burned approximately 12.43 hectares of forest. All the fires have been caused by humans. The fire hazard throughout the territory remains high to extreme due to the dry weather conditions. Sparks says the amount of rain that fell in the Yukon over the weekend was not enough to impact the danger rating. Therefore, the public is urged to exercise caution when conducting any kind of burning. -30- For Yukon Wildfire updates, call 1-800-826-4750 Current Fire Danger Ratings |