Lightning, persistent storms trigger wildfire spike in Yukon

WHITEHORSE, YUKON — Yukon’s government says sustained storms over the last two weeks have caused a spike in lightning-triggered wildfires, resulting in poor air quality and fire evacuation alerts.

The territory’s Wildland Fire Management agency says in a statement that Yukon responded to a number of new blazes triggered by lightning over the weekend, with 86 new wildfires reported since thunderstorms began developing on June 19.

The territory says there are 78 active fires in Yukon, and all but two of those blazes are in the Dawson and Mayo fire districts.

The statement says crews have managed to stop a number of fires that burned close to communities such as Dawson, Mayo, Carmacks and Watson Lake, and evacuation alerts remain in place for parts of central Yukon, including Mayo and Stewart Crossing.

The 320-hectare Roaring Fork wildfire continues to burn out-of-control about 15 kilometres north of Mayo, while the 17,000-hectare Wrong Lake fire burns between Stewart Crossing and Pelly Crossing, Yukon.

Environment Canada has meanwhile lifted an air-quality advisory for residents of central Yukon, where wildfire smoke had settled over the region and posed potential health risks.

The weather agency had said earlier that the affected region included Mayo and Carmacks, and the poor air quality was a result of widespread forest fire smoke in the region along with a stagnant weather pattern over the area.

Officials had warned residents the fine particles in the air would put people with existing conditions, seniors, pregnant people and children at especially high risk.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 2, 2024.

The Canadian Press