Residents prepare to flee wildfire burning off Alaska Highway in the Yukon's Ibex Valley

Residents of the Yukon's Ibex Valleyare bracing toflee an out-of-control wildfire burning near the Alaska Highway, about 40 kilometres northwest of Whitehorse.

The 270-hectare TakhiniBridge blaze is locatedabout two kilometressouth of the major highway.

The Yukon's Emergency Measures Organization issued a evacuation alert for the area late Saturday night.

"It's still an alert. It's not an order," said Haley Ritchie, a fire information officerwith Yukon Wildland Fire Management. "We're not asking people to leave at this time but we are asking them to start thinking about if an evacuation order was issued, what do they need to do to get out of there and be safe, and have what they need."

TakhiniRiver resident Georgina Widney, who lives three kilometres from where the fire is burning, said the blaze isa little too close for comfort.

"I'm a little anxious still," she told CBC News. "Depending on the wind,if it shifts it could easily maybe come back over here."

Widney said she has been ready to go since the evacuation alert was announced, and many of her neighbours are doing the same.

"Since we run a business from our home, we have our computer towers with all of our business stuff," she said. "We have personal paperwork.

"We have the camper ready to go with some groceries, clothes,and the essentials that we need."

Barb Joe, chief of the Champagne and AishihikFirst Nations,told CBC News that she spent the whole weekendhelpingthe community's most vulnerable members.

"Making sure they have their medicines, drinking water, enough food,oxygen,whatever machines they may use," said Joe, and "having that ready so that if we have to get them out we have buses ready for them to go."

Joe said the community is also here to support anyone else who may be displaced by the wildfire.

"We'd like to offer support at some point if the fire moves toward the Ibex Valley to see what is needed with the folks who have residences along the highway system. Just reach out and ask," she said.

Ritchie said the fire, although growing in size,is not moving toward the highway or homes yet.

She advised everyone to be careful over the next few days as weather conditions are expected to be warmand dry.

"This is a big fire we're managing," she said. "There will likely be other fires in the next few days and our crews are out there working really hard to respond on those and to keep people safe."