So far this year, 100,998 hectares have burned in the region due to wildfires — 20,000 hectares more than the 25-year average at this time. The numbers are shown in a national exhibition issued by the Canadian Interagency Center for Wildfires on Saturday. The area burned to date is almost five times greater this year compared to last year at the same time, which was just 22,648 acres. The CIFF report also shows that the number of fires in the region was significantly higher. This year there were 227 fires compared to 42 last year. Kathryn Hallett, spokeswoman for Yukon’s Department of Conservation Services, said those numbers are significant, especially since many of the fires are happening closer to communities and key transit infrastructure such as the Alaska Highway, Robert Campbell Highway and North Klondike Highway. . “It’s actually pretty good when we have wildfires that are out in the desert because it’s a natural ecological process,” Hallett said. “But obviously, when they’re close to communities, people and infrastructure, we have to put resources into them to try to put them out because people could be at risk.” Evacuation notices have been issued for several communities, including Carmacks, Stewart Crossing, Teslin and Silver Trail and surrounding areas. “They’re in the process of setting up a 150-man camp in Pelly to help with the Silver Trail, Stewart and Mayo area fires,” said Hallett, who explained that in a “typical” fire season, the Yukon might have 100 firefighters in ground at one point across the territory. Currently, there are 300 firefighters with additional resources from B.C. soon. Cap Mountain fire near Whitehorse. The Yukon faces a record number of wildfires in 2022 that have closed major highways and prompted the territorial government to issue a travel advisory urging residents and visitors not to travel unless necessary. (Submitted by Yukon Wildland Fire Management) As of Sunday morning, there is an extreme fire danger for Whitehorse and Carcross. A Level 2 fire ban remains in place for all Yukon Fire Management Areas, meaning that only cooking and heating stoves are allowed on fires and stoves in road-accessible territorial and commercial camps, but all other fire use is suspended. As the Yukon continues to face multiple challenges, from increased fire activity to road closures and internet outages Wednesday, Hallett said people should heed travel advisories.
Travel tips
The Yukon government issued a travel advisory for the entire territory on Friday because of the wildfires. The advice is for Yukoners and visitors to limit travel between communities to essential trips only. “People traveling may put extra pressure on any responses or on locals in some of the communities that are on evacuation alert,” Hallett said. Hallett also said that due to flooding and wildfires that have caused a number of closures across the state, it has been more difficult to get fuel or grocery trucks to some of the communities. “What we don’t want is people coming in for a weekend trip or something like that and buying some of these staples in these communities,” he said. Hallett also said if there were to be an actual evacuation in one of the communities and there are more people than usual, that would add extra pressure and stress to security efforts. “So it’s really important that people respect that and respect that there are some people who are going through some really stressful times right now,” he said.
Have a grab bag
Hallett recommends that “people should always have a grab bag ready” in case they need to leave their homes quickly, regardless of whether they’ve been ordered to evacuate or not. “It’s one of the very basic, easiest things people can do to be prepared for emergencies,” he said. In the bag, people should have enough water for up to three days for everyone in the household, food for the same amount of time, medicine and all important documents such as passports and permits. The next step, according to Hallett, is to make a family plan in case some members are separated during the evacuation and to designate an out-of-state safety contact.
