Department of Community Services
2003 - Yukon Wildfire Bulletins
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Current Fire Danger Ratings Wildfire Bulletin #16 June 16, 2003 - 9:30 PM THREE HUMAN-CAUSED FIRES TONIGHT WHITEHORSE – Yukon Wildland Fire Management responded to three new human-caused fires around suppertime tonight. Two of these were lit within Whitehorse City boundaries, and the third was an abandoned campfire on the Teslin River. "It appears that the Whitehorse fires were deliberately set," said Yukon Duty Officer Al Beaver. "This is a very dangerous behaviour. With the warm, dry and windy weather conditions lately, the Whitehorse area has been at an extreme fire danger rating for a couple of weeks now. People have got to be more careful. If these Whitehorse fires had got out of hand, the consequences would have been unthinkable." A crew of three forest firefighters was leaving Whitehorse Airport in a helicopter around 6:30 p.m. to respond to the fire in the Teslin area, when they spotted a small fire burning at the bottom of the claycliffs between Wheeler and Black Streets. The helicopter dropped down again, and the crew got to work on the fire along with Whitehorse City Fire Department and a second Yukon Wildland Fire Management crew. Once the fire was contained, the first crew got back into the helicopter in order to head towards the Teslin. The aircraft had just lifted off the ground when the crew spotted another fire burning in the Hillcrest area, off Burns Road. The helicopter crew landed again and went to work on this fire, along with the Whitehorse City Fire Department and the second forest fire fighting crew that had been called to the first Whitehorse fire. The crews had the Hillcrest fire under control very quickly. The helicopter crew finally got to the abandoned campfire in Teslin, which was burning on the Teslin Riverbank approximately 25 kilometres downstream from Johnson Crossing. That fire had managed to get into the surrounding timber, but the crew quickly got it under control, and had begun mop-up around 9 p.m. tonight. Meanwhile, Fire Management personnel continue to monitor the Wheaton River fire and the three fires burning east of Kusawa Lake. Carcross, Tagish, Whitehorse and Marsh Lake residents can continue to see smoke emitting from these fires. Tonight's fires bring the total of fires this season in the territory up to 35. Approximately 1750 hectares have been burned as a result. Only two of these fires has been caused by lightning, which is far above average. In a typical year, humans cause about half of Yukon's forest fires. Officials are urging the public to take extreme care when doing any kind of burning. Build your fires away from any kind of debris, brush and structures. Always make sure you have a pail of water and a shovel nearby and keep your fire under control at all times. Always make sure you fully extinguish your fire before leaving the area, and if you see a forest fire, please report it by calling 1-888-798-FIRE (3473). -30- For Yukon Wildfire updates, call 1-800-826-4750 Current Fire Danger Ratings |