Whitehorse crews prepare to fight fire — with fire

Whitehorse fire crews are hoping to stay one step ahead of wildfire season by setting a series of preventative burns this week. 

At least seven fires are planned from as far north as Long Lake Road to as far south as Mary Lake  — starting with the South Access Road near the Alaska Highway on Monday afternoon.  

Crews will be trying to remove dry grasses and underbrush that could fuel a wildfire. 

Yukon Wildland Fire Management says residents should expect to see smoke and emergency vehicles.

Fire information officer Haley Ritchie said the focus was on "high traffic areas" and places where it would be easy to remove dry grass.

"When there's a prescribed burn happening, we do our best to let people know," she said.

"We'll post to social media. If there's nearby neighbourhoods, we'll try and drop off some door knockers so people know what's going on. We also put out road signs."

Yukon Wildland Fire Management has been carrying out pre-season prescribed burns around Whitehorse for eight years. 

Each one is carefully controlled, Ritchie said. 

"We monitor weather very carefully, wind very carefully and we have all the resources we need there to make sure that we can control the burn."

'Be prepared and not scared': Yukon Wildland Fire Management

This year's mitigation effort follows a record-breaking 207 fires in the Yukon last year.

Officials dubbed it the wildfire season "that wouldn't end."

This year, wildfire season has already roared to life in British Columbia and Alberta following a historically warm winter.
 
But Keith Fickling, the regional protection manager for Yukon Wildland Fire Management, felt there was no cause for panic in the North. 

The Yukon has, so far, swerved the long-term drought which is impacting other provinces, he told Whitehorse City councillors earlier this month. 

"In Whitehorse specifically, we're looking at about 96 to 100 of normal over-winter precipitation," he said. 

"When we went into the fall, we weren't seeing any significant long term drought. So looking forward into the season, although we can't predict the weather two months from now, we can say ... we're sitting right on average."

Nevertheless, Fickling said Yukon Wildland Fire Management had boosted its resources this season. 

It's hired 28 firefighting crews, which is four more than last year. 

"We've started seasonal staff early this year and we've extended their seasons longer. That's really just in anticipation of our normal fire season, but also in anticipation that our partners will need some more help this season," he said.

Fickling expected "periods of time" in the summer where the fire risk would increase and Yukoners would need to pay close attention. 

But he said those periods of time would probably be relatively short.

"When you look at a year-long period of time, it's probably approximately 10 to 15 days in the city of Whitehorse. So we need to just promote the messaging that we need to be prepared and not scared," he said. 

"I think right now what we're seeing is a lot of outside influence. There's a long-term drought in Alberta and everybody understands that, but that information doesn't pertain to Whitehorse."

The Yukon's legal fire season began on April 1.

People who live inside Whitehorse, Dawson City or Watson Lake city limits now have to follow their municipal government's burning rules.

People living outside those areas need to call the Yukon Wildland Fire office for permission, before carrying out any burns.