Evacuation alert issued for Yukon’s Dublin Gulch area near Keno City
Lightning over weekend also sparked several new fires in wilderness zones in central, northern regions
An evacuation alert has been issued for the Dublin Gulch area, northwest of Keno City, Yukon, due to the risk associated with an out-of-control wildfire nearby.
The alert applies to most of the South McQuesten Road. It does not include any part of the Silver Trail or McQuesten Lake.
An alert is meant to provide people with time to prepare in case an evacuation order is issued later. People who receive an evacuation order should be ready to leave their properties within two hours of being notified, officials say.
The East McQuesten River fire is burning in a wilderness zone and was about 2,600 hectares in size as of Monday morning. The fire was first reported on Thursday.
Emergency officials say the fire is receiving a monitored response, meaning they are keeping an eye on it in case it threatens people or infrastructure, but they are not actively fighting it.
An evacuation alert also remains in place for Kilometres 10 to 35 of the Silver Trail, due to a fire burning northeast of Stewart Crossing. That alert was first issued on July 9.
Fire officials said Sunday evening that some parts of Yukon received heavy rain over the weekend, although lightning caused eight new fires in the central and northern regions. Most of those are in the wilderness zone.
Two small fires also started on Sunday in the Rabbit Creek area, about 20 kilometres northeast of Dawson City.
Both fires received a full response, and one was declared under control by Sunday evening. The other was not expected to grow overnight, and firefighters were expected to be working on it again on Monday.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Fire services have returned to Pelly Crossing, Yukon, after a decade without, CBC News
Norway: Smoke from Canadian wildfires forecast to reach Norway, The Associated Press
Russia: New NOAA report finds vast Siberian wildfires linked to Arctic warming, The Associated Press
Sweden: Fire bans in force across large parts of Sweden, Radio Sweden
United States: Wildfires in Anchorage? Climate change sparks disaster fears, The Associated Press
