Bear Creek Fire Now Burning At Almost 500 Hectares

Tuesday, 28 May 2019 14:14

The Bear Creek Wildfire is now burning at 494 hectares. (Photo courtesy of Yukon Protective Services)

The Yukon Government says 20 wildfire crew, bulldozers and four helicopters have been deployed to secure the southern and eastern flank of the now 494-hectare Bear Creek Fire near Haines Junction. Two property owners near the fire have since received an evacuation notice.

The Yukon Government says 20 wildfire crew, bulldozers and four helicopters have been deployed to secure the southern and eastern flank of the now 494-hectare Bear Creek Fire near Haines Junction.

In a statement, officials say southern prevailing winds from the adjacent Alsek Valley have contributed to the growth.

Yukon WIidland Fire Information Officer Mike Fancie says a public consultation meeting on the fire will be given tomorrow for members of the community and for those who've received an evacuation notice already.

"We're in the process of identifying the trigger points for what would require evacuations for members of the community. We'll be sharing those at a town hall meeting tomorrow that were co-hosting with the Village of Haines Junction and the Champagne and Aishihik First Nation. That's happening at the St. Elias Community Centre at 6:00 pm. We have issued an evacuation alert to two properties and we've notified those property owners.If you haven't been contacted by a Wildland Fire Official, you're not under an evacuation alert."

Fancie says surveying the fire has been difficult due to the thick smoke in the area.

"The trouble we have is mapping the fire on a regular basis. We do our best to provide an accurate update in the mornings. But in the afternoon and into the evenings, the smoke from the flames has made it difficult for us to provide helicopter overflights that would let us get a good sense of what's going on in terms of its size. We do know the fire is growing."

Fancie says crews are battling the fire from the south and east due to where the majority of populations lie in proximity to the fire.

"Those two parts of the fire are the ones that would need to be secured in the event that Haines Junction or different subdivisions were put under any kind of threat. If the fire continues burning north, there are far fewer values in that area. We are working primarily in the south and east because if you travel to the south and to the east from the fire, eventually you get to Haines Junction itself."

Despite the fire growth, officials says the town of Haines Junction is not under threat.

Other new prominent forest fires include a 55-hectare fire burning around Toobally lakes and another wildfire burning around Telegraph Creek.

This is the 19th human-caused wildfire out a total of 27 wildfires so far this year in the territory.