While forest fire activity in the Yukon has cooled off, warmer temperatures recently have pushed up the danger rating in the Whitehorse region to high.

But the local weather forecast for the week is calling for falling temperatures down to 15 degrees with rain by Thursday and Friday, fire information officer Robyn Farrow said this morning.

There are 28 active fires in the territory, though none are being fought as they are burning in the wilderness zone.

The largest at 36,700 hectares is 140 kilometres east of Old Crow.

There's also a 28,668-hectare fire 70 kilometres southwest of Carmacks, and a 20,200-hectare fire in the White River area, 100 kilometres south of Dawson City.

The fire danger rating in the Ross River district is also high. It's moderate in Haines Junction, Teslin and Watson Lake, and low in Beaver Creek, Carmacks, Dawson, Mayo and Old Crow.

There have been 63 fires in the Yukon so far this year, consuming 143,692 hectares.

Meanwhile, Alaska has started releasing resources it borrowed from Alberta and states in the lower 48, state fire information officer Doug Stockdale explained this morning.

"We've had a change in weather, basically,” Stockdale said. "This is typical for us. This is getting into our rainy season.”

He said of the 70 fires burning across the state, seven are staffed.

To date, there have been 592 fires in Alaska, burning a total of 1,136,380 hectares.

At the same time last year, the state had recorded 426 fires, burning a total of 1,114,323 hectares.

Stockdale said the 2009 season was the ninth largest fire year for Alaska.