Lightning was responsible for five new wildfires in the territory over the weekend, Wildland Fire Management officials said today.

There was activity in the Whitehorse, Teslin, Haines Junction and Watson Lake fire districts.

Firefighters also assisted city firefighters in dealing with a house fire in the Whitehorse Copper subdivision Sunday afternoon and evening. They worked to ensure the fire did not spread to the nearby woods, and they assisted with traffic control. (See p. 3.)

"There was a significant amount of lightning activity across much of the territory over the weekend and it was very dry in some parts,” said duty officer David Milne.

"Fortunately, our staff was quick to respond to the new activity and prevent these wildfires from becoming more serious.”

The first weekend wildfire of note occurred at 5:30 p.m. Saturday in the Mendenhall subdivision west of Whitehorse.

Due to its close proximity to homes, two crews were deployed by helicopter and vehicle.

Airtankers were also deployed but upon arrival, it was determined they were not required.

The Mendenhall Volunteer Fire Department was first on site and managed to prevent the 0.2-hectare blaze from spreading further and it is now fully contained.

The weekend's other notable incident was a one-hectare fire in the Teslin district near Nisutlin Bay, reported at 5 p.m. Sunday.

Located about 14 kilometres from the community, the fire and smoke were quite visible.

Airtankers attacked the blaze, and firefighters worked on it until midnight, and made good progress. Crews returned today, and it's expected the fire could be extinguished in the next couple of days.

In the Haines Junction district, lightning started a small fire on the Aishihik Road on Saturday evening, and it is now extinguished.

Also on Saturday night, a small fire was discovered near Mitchie Lake in the Whitehorse district.

Airtankers tackled the fire on Saturday night to limit its spread, and it was extinguished Sunday.

The fifth fire over the weekend was in the Watson Lake district near Dodo Lakes. More precipitation in the area helped limit the fire's activity.

Meanwhile, the 20 firefighters and an agency representative who were sent to Alberta to provide assistance will be returning to the territory this afternoon as the situation in Alberta has eased.

With the new fires over the weekend, there have now been 36 fires in the territory this season, burning approximately 34,775 hectares of forest.

The public is reminded that burning permits are mandatory for the burning of brush, grass and debris and will be suspended whenever the fire danger rating is above the low level. If you see a wildfire, please report it immediately to 1-888-798-FIRE.