A wildfire in Yukon has closed several roads and highways around the state, including the Clonic Highway between the Pelly Crossing and the Stuart Crossing.
Haley Richie said the Crystal Creek, on 1,500 hectares of land with the Yukon Wildland Fire Department, was on fire near the highway, 15 kilometers south of the Stuart Crossing.
“Smoke is dangerous for travel now. It was very thick, very dangerous last night,” she said Monday morning.
We will review it again this morning and the smoke can be cleared. If not, we will try and make arrangements, maybe some pilots are driving, to try and help people get in that travel corridor. . ”
A statement from the emergency services on Sunday evening said there was no immediate threat to the Stuart Crossing community.
“It was a very busy weekend for wildlife firefighters,” Rich said on Monday. As of Sunday, there were 82 active fires around the state.
“We’ve had fires almost everywhere in the region,” she said.
The Silver Trail area – around the Stuart Crossing, Elsa, Mayo and Keno – has been a real hot spot in recent days and Richie residents should be aware that the weather is not expected to change much in the coming days. On Monday, around Canada, along with several other Yukon communities, issued a temperature warning to Mayo.
Fire was banned in the state on Thursday. That means cooking and heating are only allowed in fireplaces provided for access to government and commercial camps. No other open fire is allowed anywhere.
Others shut down
The Robert Campbell Highway between Lake Watson and the Ross River has been closed along the Cloudic Highway near the Stuart Crossing. The nearby wildfires of Lake Francis were over 600 acres by Sunday.
“It’s very close to the highway. Same thing, it’s very dangerous to let them go there now.”
Nahani Road, north of the Robert Campbell Highway to the Anuiti border, was also closed.
She said authorities were watching other large fires, including one 15 miles[15 km]from Beaver Creek. She said she could see the smoke from the fire, but the community was not at risk at the moment.
Some BC firefighters were in Yukon over the weekend to help local workers. Rich says more relief is expected from BC this week.
Meanwhile, the Alaska Highway, the main artery of the Yukon supply chain, was closed Monday morning after being washed.
Modern highway conditions for Yukon are on 511 Yukon.
