Dawson City 'used to living with risk,' mayor says as nearby wildfire grows
Some properties outside town under evacuation alert, but Dawson City itself not considered under threat
The mayor of Dawson City says people are feeling "apprehensive" about a wildfire burning east of town — but he's confident that officials are prepared for any scenario.
The Coal Creek fire east of town has been growing in recent days, and some nearby residents are under an evacuation alert. As of Thursday night, the lightning-caused fire was an estimated 7,250 hectares in size and was burning about 5.5 kilometres from Henderson Corner, and five kilometres north of the North Klondike Highway.
Dawson City itself is not considered to be at risk.
"We're nowhere near that yet," said Mayor Wayne Potoroka on Thursday afternoon.
He said people outside of town who are subject to the evacuation alert should make sure they're prepared. He also says residents can be assured that emergency officials are planning and preparing for whatever might happen.
"That's great comfort for me … People are good at what they do and they know what to do when those situations arise," Potoroka said.
"We know that anything can happen. We've seen that in other parts of the country. But everybody's doing exactly what they need to do to give us the best chance possible to make sure that we don't suffer a horror show like other places in the country."
Fire officials say the fire was "very active" on the northwest and east perimeter on Thursday, but had not spread further southward closer to Henderson Corner and Rock Creek.
"Rock Creek and Henderson Corner are being protected with a combination of sprinkler systems and mobile water cannons. Crews are preparing a cut line north of the Klondike River to remove fuels between the fire and affected neighbourhoods," reads an update on the government's website from Thursday night.
If you have standing tall dry grass on your property, please mow this grass to reduce fire risk. Remove sticks and other woody debris from your property and clean your gutters of leafy debris.
—@YukonPSKeeping our fingers & toes crossed that Coal Creek Fire doesn't get any closer. Currently 5 km away from many of Dawson's farmers and nearby neighbourhoods who are on evacuation alert. Particularly troublesome for livestock farmers with no road access.<a href="https://t.co/s2LRCW8nrj">https://t.co/s2LRCW8nrj</a>
—@FirstWeEatMoviePotoroka said it "sucks" for people to live under an evacuation alert.
"But at the same time, I think folks in the Yukon, in the Klondike in particular, are used to living with risk. Living in the Yukon, in fact, brings a little bit of risk with it, whether it be floods or fire, as we're all learning this summer," he said.
'We can't leave the animals'
Jennifer Sadlier co-owns and operates the Klondike Valley Creamery, a dairy farm on the banks of the Klondike River. It's one of the properties now under an evacuation alert.
She said on Thursday afternoon that she could see large plumes of smoke off to the east and north. They were feeling "anxious" at her farm, but were planning on staying put to ensure their cows are OK.
"We can't leave the animals alone to take care of themselves. And so we'll stay here with them," she said.
"They're a good group of calm cows."
Sadlier was confident that her farm would come through alright even if the fire moved through the area. She said the farm is surrounded by grassy fields with not much to burn. The cows can be moved into a structure that's protected by a fire suppression system, she said.
"The worst case scenario, we're going to see it go around us, and the air quality is going to get really bad. So I'm hoping, hoping against hope, that that's the way it works," she said.
With files from Leonard Linklater and Dave White