Yukon fire crews fight to contain fires near Finlayson Lake, Carmacks

The Yukon currently has 25 active fires, but crews are focusing their efforts on the Finlayson Lake fire near Ross River and fires near Carmacks and Dawson City.

The Finlayson Lake fire near Ross River was 1.9 square kilometresin size as of Wednesday morning.

Visibility issues and debris prompted a closure of the Robert Campbell Highway, said Yukon Wildland Fire Management fire information officer Haley Ritchie.

"We know it's a really popular road. It's an important highway for people who have cabins and camps in that area. It's important for tourism, and connects communities of Ross River and Watson Lake," said Ritchie.

According to Yukon511, Robert Campbell Highway is closed in both directions from the Lapie River Bridge (km 354) to Hoole River Bridge (km 248).

The road is currently only passable from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. for local traffic, said Ritchie.

"Right now we're working with Highways in the Yukon to get that road reopened," she said.

To open it, they have to determine when fire behaviour is at its lowest.

There are eight firefighters and one helicopter working on the fire and two more crews are headed to the Finlayson Lake fire today from Whitehorse.

Fires near Carmacks being fought

A hot and dry weather system is hanging over the Yukon and N.W.T. causing more fire action this season.

Those hot temperatures and lightning storms are the cause of a majority of the territory's 25 active fires, said Ritchie, adding there have been 37 fires overall so far this year in the territory.

Crews are fighting to contain the Rock Island Lake fire near Carmacks which is nearly two square kilometeres in size.

The fire is 18 kilometres north of Minto and has not grown significantly overnight, said Ritchie.

There are 34 firefighters and three helicopters "working really hard on containing that fire," she said.

People may see smoke from the Klondike Highway and should watch for low-flying aircraft.

Ritchie said that a fire near Mayo, which has burned roughly 30 square kilometres, may seem like a lot of land, but fire behaviour can be useful for thinning out forests and even be beneficial for wildlife.

"We let those fires burn. Not all fires are bad and are part of the boreal environment," she said.

Fire is a natural ecological process and some animals such as caribou can even be drawn to recent burns, said Ritchie.

With Canada Day coming up, Ritchie said people may be considering having fires.

She said it's helpful for people to report smoke or fires they see to the territory's hotline 1-888-798-FIRE.

They should also make sure their fires are in a proper place and 100 per cent out.

For the latest updates on fires over the weekend, residents can visit yukon.ca/wildfires.