Wildfire in Ibex Valley was caused by 2 people doing target practice, says Yukon fire marshal

A large wildfire that prompted an evacuation alert in the Yukon's Ibex Valley this summer was caused by two people doing target practice, the territory's fire marshal has found. 

According to the investigation from the fire marshal, released on Tuesday, the blaze was ruled to be human-caused, and accidental.

Fire marshal Devin Bailey said the fire was a result of a ThunderShot brand explosive used for target practice in recreational shooting.

"There were two individuals in a gravel pit shooting at the targets from a distance," he said.

According to the investigation report, ThunderShot is readily available at stores in the Yukon. It notes that while there are no restrictions on how much a person can buy, a firearms or pyrotechnic licence is required for purchasing.

The pair were practicing on July 8, in the midst of a heatwave in southern Yukon. They had been practicing shooting at a variety of targets, but sometime after 4 p.m. when one of them hit the ThunderShot container with a bullet "it exploded in a different capacity than seen at other times," according to the report, and a fire broke out.

The investigation further notes that they initially tried to put the fire out on their own but weren't successful so they called 911 to report the incident and stayed on the scene.

Bailey said both people expressed remorse and because they did their best to put the fire out, reported it, and cooperated with the investigation, they will not be charged.

"After the fire ignited, the individuals responsible did everything that they should under the legislation and there's nothing illegal that was done," he said.

With hot, dry and windy weather conditions, the fire grew enough to prompt an evacuation alert to be issued the next day for nearby residents. The alert was in place for eight days.   

Fortunately, rain helped pause the fire's growth while firefighters built a guard around the perimeter. 

Twenty firefighters were brought in from Nova Scotia to help, and the fire was declared as being "held" on July 16, with no injuries or property damage. 

The Takhini Bridge wildfire investigation was done in partnership with the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations.

In a written statement, fire marshal Devin Bailey warned residents to be careful in the years ahead.

"While the fire was accidental, we urge people to be cautious and avoid the use of exploding targets during the wildfire season, especially in hot, dry and windy conditions," he said.

A 'learning opportunity' for fire officials

Lisa Walker, director of Yukon Wildland Fire Management, said this was the first incident of its kind on record in the Yukon. She said more than 90 per cent of the territory's wildfires are caused by lightning, and any human-caused fires tend to be related to permitted burning, or holdover fires from winter.

She called it a "learning opportunity" for fire officials, and for people who do target practice and similar activities. She says the territory will likely change some of its communications around fire risk, as a result.

"I think there may be a tendency for people to judge and say, you know, that was a terrible decision at the time. And I believe those people probably feel now that that wasn't a very wise decision to have made at the time," she said.

"But if you think about how many Yukoners might be doing similar things throughout the year — it was an accident. And I think everybody involved in the fire response and the investigation have learned from the incident."

Still, not everybody is satisfied with the outcome. Rainer Russmann says he lives about three kilometres from where the fire started, and he wishes there were more accountability.

"Yeah, I'm upset and I wish there would be consequences for the people who triggered that mindlessly," he said.

"Me and my neighbours along the road, we were pretty much on fairly high alert for almost 10 days. We set up sprinkler systems, we bought hoses and pumps, and tried to create some kind of a defence against embers and sparks."

Russmann said he's ready to move on, though. He's thankful for the help he received from people during those stressful days and he says firefighters did an outstanding job.

He's also a little more prepared, if anything similar should happen again.

"We got our systems in place now, so next time the preparation phase would be would be shorter," he said.