IBEX VALLEY, Yukon — The Yukon government has issued an evacuation alert for two communities as wildfires burn nearby.
An alert was issued Sunday for residents in the Ibex Valley adjacent to the Alaska Highway.
Later in the evening, the government issued an evacuation alert for residents living near Highway 11, between the villages of Stewart Crossing and Mayo, due a wildfire northeast of Stewart Crossing.
The government says on its website an evacuation alert is intended to provide residents time to be ready to leave safely if an order is issued.
Yukon Protective Services says the fire in the Ibex Valley was south of the Takhini Bridge.
Since being first reported at 5 p.m. Saturday, the fire had grown at the last estimate to cover 2.7 square kilometres and remains out-of-control and highly visible, producing smoke impacting the Ibex Valley and Whitehorse.
Yukon's Emergency Measures Organization has issued an evacuation alert for the area as a precaution, and structure protection, such as sprinklers, has been set up on many nearby residences as a preventive measure.
The Alaska Highway remains open but travellers are being asked to avoid stopping near the fire in order to allow crews to work unimpeded.
The territorial government said heavy machinery built dozer guards on the north and east parts of the fire and continued to hold operations Sunday. It said while the fire had seen growth to the southwest, there had been no forward growth of the fire towards the Alaska Highway and residences.
It said Monday's forecast of light winds are expected to increase fire behaviour, but the work done Sunday will help to prevent growth toward the highway or residences.
Yukon has also put a Level 2 fire ban in place for all Yukon fire management districts, which it says is the middle level in its three-tiered fire ban system.
Starting Sunday afternoon, the territory said cooking and warming fires would only be allowed in the provided fire pits and stoves at road-accessible territorial and commercial campgrounds. All other fire use is suspended.
It said it made the move because there is extreme fire danger caused by hot and dry weather and recent fire activity.
It noted that fire use within national parks is managed separately by Parks Canada.
The territory said the cause of the fire is still undetermined but an investigator was on scene Sunday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 9, 2023.
The Canadian Press
