Takhini Bridge fire near Whitehorse 'under control,' evacuation alert issued for Sixtymile area

The Takhini Bridge fire burning northwest of Whitehorse is now considered "under control," according to Yukon wildfire officials.

"Always good to have some good news," said wildland fire information officer Haley Ritchie on Tuesday afternoon.

"So what they've done is secure the perimeter about 500 feet in ... that really reduces the risk of spread. So they're starting to pull equipment and personnel off that fire."

The Takhini Bridge fire started a little over two weeks ago in the midst of a heatwave in southern Yukon, and within days it had grown enough to prompt an evacuation alert for some parts of the Ibex Valley.

Fortunately, there was soon a bit of relief — some rain helped pause the fire's growth while firefighters were building a guard around the perimeter. Soon after, the fire was declared as being "held."

Meanwhile, there were three other evacuation alerts in place in the territory on Tuesday, including a new one issued for the Sixtymile area, south of the Top of The World Highway and west of Dawson City. That alert is in response to the Mount Nolan fire. 

The Sixtymile alert applies to areas serviced by the Sixtymile Road and the Matson Creek Road which crosses over Mount Nolan. Ritchie says there is "mostly industry in the area."

Another alert was issued on Monday for the Dublin Gulch area, northwest of Keno City, Yukon, which is home to Victoria Gold's Eagle mine, as well as several placer mining operations. The nearby East McQuesten River fire was about 2,465 hectares on Tuesday, Ritchie said. 

"Today we've got two helicopters, one initial attack crew and one wildfire officer assigned to this fire. What they're doing is communicating with mines in the area, industry, and also assessing structural protection," she said.

Another evacuation alert remains in place for Kilometres 10 to 35 of the Silver Trail, between Stewart Crossing and Mayo. The alert was issued on July 9.

"For now, conditions are pretty stable there but we're keeping that evacuation alert in place because it could change," Ritchie said.

She said parts of the territory have seen some unsettled weather in recent days, and that can increase the risk of fire. The northern part of the territory has seen hot weather along with some lightning, while southern Yukon has seen more rain but also lots of lightning, she said.

"Over the past few days, we've seen about 28,000 [lightning] strikes. So that's quite a bit," she said.

"When we're looking at the board and the Yukon, a lot of strategic decisions are being made. We're a really big territory with a small amount of resources. So it's really important to be strategic."