Revised - Trevor Ellis, Mayo’s mayor and fire chief, is in the village working to do what’s needed to prepare for the possibility of the Talbot Creek wildfire closing in on the community.

He was able to give the Star an update on the situation from the village on Wednesday afternoon.

“We’ve been working alongside Wildland (Fire) putting in structure protection all around the community,” he said. “Mostly around the edges of town, the high-risk stuff.”

The village of Mayo and the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun were evacuated last Sunday due to the approaching 4,999-hectare Talbot Creek fire.

The fire is south of the village and still on the other side of the Stewart River.

At a Thursday afternoon press conference with the Yukon government, fire information officer Haley Ritchie said that even though the fire has received about seven millimetres of rain, it is still active.

“Not enough to put the threat to bed,” she said. “The fire is still smouldering with occasional tree-torching.”

She also gave details about a bulldozer guard crews are building between the fire and the village, which, she said, will help for future fire security.

Having evacuated the area, Na-Cho Nyäk Dun Chief Dawna Hope was also able to attend the press conference.

“Leaving one’s home and not knowing whether we’ll be able to go back or not and what we’ll see when we get back is nothing anyone should have to go through,” Hope said.

Ellis has stayed behind with about 10 others, including local essential public works employees and firefighters.

They’re hoping their presence will mean Yukon Wildland Fire Management can divert their attention back to the fire itself.

“We’ve got a really good window to make some headway on the fire,” he said, “so we’re really hoping we can free up Wildland guys to go do that.”

A posting from the Yukon Protective Service on Thursday said a crew of 20 firefighters who had just arrived from Nova Scotia were sent up to Mayo to join the approximately 60 personnel already working on the blaze.

The Yukon Fire Marshal’s Office also has a worker in town helping out with structure protection.

At this time, the fire itself is not threatening town, but there have been some concerns over embers blowing into the village.

“We had a bit of a scary event on Monday night when we definitely thought that was possible,” he said. “We, as well as Wildland, were patrolling and checking and making sure everything was OK.”

Ellis had been away on vacation during the initial stages of the evacuation. Coming back into town last Sunday afternoon, he said, the evacuation was already going smoothly.

Getting people out of Mayo has allowed fire personnel to be able to do their job without having to worry about protecting local residents should the worst happen, he said.

Ellis said he knows of about 40 to 50 people who have stayed behind, mostly on properties just outside the evacuation area.

Hope implored anyone staying behind in the evacuation zone to leave so Wildland Fire personnel can do their job without having to worry about protecting the lives of people in the area.

“If you have not left Mayo or are declining to adhere to evacuation notices, we need you to know that you are putting yourself and others at risk,” Hope said.

Most Mayo residents have evacuated to Whitehorse, Carmacks and Pelly Crossing.

“A huge thank you to basically the entire territory,” Ellis said. “The support that they’ve given the community has been just incredible.”

The Silver Trail highway to Mayo is now closed to non-local and non-emergency traffic and the entire area accessed by the road is on evacuation alert or evacuation order.

“Highway disruptions can happen at any time due to the wildfire, so if you are planning any travel throughout the Yukon please visit Yukon 511 for the latest road conditions before heading out,” said Greg Blackjack of Yukon’s Emergency Management Organization.

To get a better idea of how many people have actually left, government officials are imploring people to call Emergency Support Services at 867-332-4597.

Mail for Mayo evacuees is being held at Canada Post at 300 Range Rd. Residents are instructed to bring an ID and ring the doorbell just inside the entrance for assistance.