Don't let the melting snow fool you wildfire season has arrived in Yukon

Emergencyofficials in Yukon have been keeping an eye out for flooding this spring, as a record amount of snow melts away.

Now they're also watching forwildfires. The first of the season was reported on Monday, north of Whitehorse.

"This is a time of year when it is easy to see snow on the ground and think that there is no fire danger," said Mike Fancie, fire information officer with Yukon's Wildland Fire Management.

Monday's fire was relatively small. It was a human-caused grass fire that was only about a fifth of a hectare in size, near the Deep Creek subdivision.

Fire crews were able to quickly extinguish it, but Fancie said itshould serve as a warning.

"Preventable fires like this one are especially dangerous right after the snow melt, because most of the fuels on the ground are still dead and dry from being covered over winter," he said.

"Until new growth comes in, this means that fires can still start and spread quickly."

Yukon's fire seasonofficially starts at the beginning of April. That's when firefighting crews starttraining and preparing for busier days aheadin the summer.

"The fact that we responded to this fire Monday with enough resources is a sign that we feel ready to go," Fancie said.

He said it's still hard to say what the fire season might look like. A lot depends on the weather, and it's too early to predict summer conditions.

Last yearthe territory saw one of its quietest wildfire seasons in memory, with lots of rainhelping keep therisk low.

Emergency officials have scheduled a news conference on Thursday morning to talk about the flood and wildfire forecast for the territory.