Yukon residents and visitors are being asked to “seriously consider” their travel plans amid wildfire- and flood-related road closures and evacuation warnings.
The territorial government issued a travel warning for the entire Yukon on Friday, saying wildfires and flooding, along with widespread telecommunications outages and poor air quality, have challenged the territory.
Appearing on CBC’s Midday Cafe, Richard Mostyn, territorial minister of community services, said “the message is for everyone to take a little personal responsibility this summer.”
He asked Yukoners to “review their travel plans carefully” and if not necessary, not to travel.
With more than 160 active wildfires — more than the Yukon has had in all past wildfire seasons — Mostyn said this could be one of the territory’s worst wildfire seasons.
“The situation in the territory right now is extreme,” he told host Leonard Linklater, listing fires active in the central Yukon, in Watson Lake, Dawson City and near Beaver Creek.
Most years, he said, the Yukon has about 100 firefighters on scene.
This year, with support from other parts of the country, there are nearly 300 firefighters and resources are still being stretched.
Several sections of Yukon roads are closed due to wildfires, including parts of the Klondike Highway, part of the Robert Campbell Highway and Nahanni Range Road. (511 Yukon)
If residents are traveling, the government asks them to be prepared for an emergency and understand that the situation can change quickly.
The travel advisory recommends always having water, food, cash, extra gas and other emergency supplies so that you are self-sufficient and don’t have to draw on emergency resources.
“Make sure you can take care of yourself if maybe you’re stranded because of an event on the highway,” Mostyn said.
“There’s a lot going on right now and our resources are really stretched. So we’re asking people to help our Wildland Fire people, our emergency responders.”
He said tourists would still come from outside the territory, but advised them to keep an eye out for updates on road conditions and closures and “maybe change their plans to where it’s a little bit safer and where there’s less crisis.” .
“The cars seemed to disappear into the whiteness”
Kelsey Kerr was in one of the cars trying to cross the Klondike Freeway, which remains closed from Stewart Crossing to Pelly Crossing.
She tried first on Tuesday, but was turned away from the pilot car after a two-hour wait. Kerr, along with those who accompanied her on the drive, spent the night in Dawson City and tried again Wednesday.
Before heading down the highway, Kerr said the pilot car told them to keep their headlights and hazard lights on, take their time and not pass the car in front.
Although the smoke wasn’t “super thick,” Kerr said he couldn’t see the last 10 or so cars in front of him and there were spots where he couldn’t see the horizon.
“It just seemed like the cars were disappearing into the whiteness,” she said.
During the drive, Kerr said ash was falling from the sky and the heat from outside was building up inside the car. Even though the windows were rolled up, she said there were times in the drive that the air quality caused coughing fits for everyone in the vehicle.
On both sides of the highway, she said some trees were still burning, others completely burned, “so just black sticks,” and that the ground was smoking.
“It’s definitely going to change the landscape for sure,” she said, adding that “for anyone who likes to pick smurfs, it’s probably going to be a prime location next year.”
The aftermath of an eight-hectare fire at Cap Mountain in the Yukon. While traveling on the Klondike Highway between Stewart Crossing and Pelly Crossing, Kelsey Kerr said the trees on both sides of the highway were completely burned, describing them as “just black sticks.” (Wildland Fire Management)
During the drive, Kerr said she tried to stay positive, but thought about what could happen if the wind changed and rekindled the flames.
Kerr said he has a lot of respect for firefighters, highway crews and those working on the phone crews, thinking “even driving through that is not a comfortable situation.”
She acknowledged that avoiding travel could be difficult for residents of some Yukon communities who rely on Whitehorse for medical appointments or may need to travel for groceries, but “if you don’t have to go anywhere … just stay at home,” she said.
With more than 160 active wildfires – more than the Yukon has had in an entire wildfire season – Community Services Minister Richard Mostyn said this could be one of the worst wildfire seasons the Yukon has had. (Yukon Wildfire Information)
Updates on evacuation warnings, flood warnings and air quality advisories can be found at Yukon.ca/emergencies.
Changes in road conditions will appear on Yukon511.ca.
For wildfire updates, go to Yukon.ca/get-wildfire-updates or call 867-393-7415.
With recent internet outages causing communication disruptions, Mostyn said that when there is an active emergency alert, the department has people go door-to-door in communities “to make sure people are informed” and “know what’s going to happen happen if an evacuation warning is issued. “
“These are really extraordinary times in the territory,” he said.
With a total of 210 fires in the territory this year, the emergency management organization is reminding residents of the risk of poor air quality.
“When there is heavy smoke, all people are at risk, regardless of their age or health,” the advisory said.
“Whether you’re in a community or traveling overland, you need to understand how poor air quality from wildfire smoke can affect your health.”
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