Yukon prepared for possible Alaska Highway closure, gov't says

The Yukon government says it's prepared for a possible closure of the Alaska Highway in northeastern B.C., as themassive Donnie Creek wildfire continues to burn out of control.

The B.C. Wildfire Service said Friday thatthe wildfire now 506,692 hectares in size was still about two kilometres from the highway near Trutch, south of Fort Nelson, B.C.

Firefighting crews were hoping to do a planned ignition in the area on Friday, if conditions allowed. The ideais toremovea 19-kilometre section of forest fuels east of Buckinghorse Road, parallel to the Alaska Highway.

The highway is the main overland route into Yukon, so a road closure would cause a major disruption to the flow of goods into the territory.

The Yukon government said in a news release on Friday morning that emergency officials in the territory were meeting daily with their counterparts in B.C. to monitor the situation and prepare to respond if necessary.

"Advance planning is in place to ensure the Yukon remains supplied with essentials, including fuel and food, in case of a highway closure," the release states.

It also says the territory has "multiple" transport links out of the territory, such as the Stewart-Cassiar Highway through northern B.C., airports, and ferry and freight links through coastal Alaska.

The government also encouraged Yukoners to ensure they always have an emergency kit on handat home, with enough basic supplies for the household to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours.

The Yukonhas so far seen a quiet wildfire season, compared to its neighbours in B.C., Alberta and the N.W.T.

As of Wednesday, there were four wildfires active in the Yukonwith less than 2,000 hectares burned across the territory so far this year. By comparison, the wildfire burning near Sambaa K'e, N.W.T., has alone burned nearly half a million hectares of land.

Yukon firefighters have been sent to help out elsewhere in Canada. As of Wednesday, there were 54 Yukon firefighters in Alberta, Quebec and the N.W.T.