Co-operative winds help crews bring forest fire under control

A human-caused fire near Dawson City was contained thanks to fire crews and agreeable weather conditions earlier this week.

A human-caused fire near Dawson City was contained thanks to fire crews and agreeable weather conditions earlier this week.

The sun was hot Tuesday evening, but with a calm wind, six initial attack firefighters and one airtanker group were able to control the one-hectare blaze 90 kilometres southeast of Dawson near Gravel Lake, just a few metres from the North Klondike Highway.

“It wasn’t windy, luckily, but had it been, it would have been a much different story,” George Maratos, communications officer for Yukon Wildland Fire Management, said today.

At 8:30 p.m., a passing member of the public reported the fire. By 11 p.m. the airtanker group was on the scene to drop retardant ahead of the fire to restrict its growth.

By Wednesday, the fire crews had things under control.

They hoped to have it completely extinguished by later today, but are still checking the area for hot spots.

“If wind were to come through, we don’t want that fire to flair up again,” said Maratos.

Wildland Fire Management are currently investigating. They don’t know what started the burn, but deem it to be human-caused because of an absence of lightning Tuesday.

Campfires are allowed, but permits are required for any burning of brush, grass or debris.

Permits are suspended if the fire danger rating is moderate, high or extreme.