A ban on open campfires is expected to continue through the weekend after Yukon Wildland Fire Management issued it late Thursday afternoon.

"It's looking pretty hot right through the weekend,” fire information officer George Maratos said today.

The ban means those in the bush with no approved fire pit or cooking appliance are out of luck.

Those staying within territorial campgrounds outside Whitehorse city limits can continue to enjoy a campfire this weekend.

Maratos noted firewood at the campgrounds outside the city will continue to be stocked. Devices like barbecues and cook stoves that have lids can also be used, though extreme caution should be exercised.

The ban also applies to all burning in landfills, dump sites and for fireworks.

"Wildland Fire Management officials and parks officials will be enforcing the ban and individuals not adhering to this ban may be subject to prosecution,” the advisory stated.

A city fire ban which started last week and includes all campfires remains in effect. It would impact those camping at the Robert Service and Wolf Creek campgrounds.

"Fire conditions remain concerning, and as such we will be leaving the fire ban in place until further notice,” Whitehorse fire chief Clive Sparks said in a statement.

"The ban includes all fires within city limits, including backyard fires and cooking fires in campgrounds.

"While most people are complying with the ban, we did have a few incidents to respond to last week and that is concerning.”

The fire department answered about a half-dozen calls last weekend of small bush fires within the city.

Firefighters will be doing frequent patrols of the city as part of a fire watch.

Meanwhile, as of late this morning, all regions of the Yukon were rated in the moderate to extreme risk.

Old Crow and Teslin were listed as the lowest risk at moderate, with Old Crow seeing one fire about 45 kilometres east of the community that has been extinguished (see p. 3). It burned a total of 0.40 hectares. Teslin has had no fires this season.

Meanwhile, Beaver Creek, Watson Lake and Whitehorse are all listed at a high rating. The capital has seen the highest number of blazes of those three districts this season, with three burning a total of 0.38 ha.

The most recent fire for Whitehorse was reported at the north end of Marsh Lake at around 7:45 last night.

Crews were immediately deployed to deal with it due to its proximity to the McClintock subdivision, and by 9:30 p.m., it had been contained.

The cause remains unknown.

"In this situation when values such as properties are at potential risk our response is immediate,” duty officer Dave Milne said in a statement.

"Fortunately the DC-6 air tanker was quick to respond and our ground crews were able to keep the fire to a small size and contain it quickly.”

Watson Lake has seen two fires over the season burning 0.51 ha with no blazes in Beaver Creek.

Meanwhile, all other regions – Carmacks, Dawson, Haines Junction, Mayo and Ross River – are listed at extreme, with Carmacks the only other district to see a fire start in the last day.

There, a 0.10-ha fire was reported burning near Tatchun Lake, 25 kilometres north of Carmacks. Firefighters contained the blaze, and it was expected it would be extinguished today.

It is the second fire for Carmacks this season, with a total of 50.01 ha burned.

Dawson has seen the same amount burned, but by four fires this year.

Haines Junction and Ross River have each had one fire burning 0.15 ha and 0.01 ha respectively.

Finally, Mayo has seen no fires this season, though it is listed as extreme in the danger rating.

Much of the territory is expected to remain hot and dry this weekend with the exception of the northern Yukon.

A few cloudy periods, winds and cooler temperatures are predicted for Saturday in the northern part of the Old Crow district, while thunder showers are forecast for northern Yukon on Sunday.