Work expected to begin soon on firebreak in southwest Whitehorse

Work should begin soon on a fuel break meant to lower the risk of catastrophic wildfire in Whitehorse.

A six-kilometre-long strip of land will be cleared in the southwest part of the city. It will run along the Copper Haul Road from the Mount Sima ski chalet south to the Mary Lake neighbourhood, according to a Yukon government release.

That part of the city is getting a lot of attention for wildfire mitigation, said Community Services Minister John Streicker, because it's the direction winds generally come from in the summer.

Streicker said the work is part of a territory-wide project to protect communities from forest fires.

"We've started with six this year for communities across the Yukon," he said, "and we'll be going to all of them."

Wildland fire management spokesperson Mike Fancie said the contract in Whitehorse should be awarded soon and the clearing will begin as soon as possible after that.

There is no uniform width for the cleared strip, said Fancie. It may depend on ground conditions at any given spot.

He said the government is hoping to lower the cost of the project by giving the cleared trees to the contractor who can then sell them as firewood.

The firebreak expected to be completed by 2024, Fancie said. The federal government is contributing $1.1 million and the territory is putting up $487,500, said the news release.

The project is among several fire prevention initiatives in the area.

Whitehorse Mayor Dan Curtis, who attended the announcement Thursday near the Mount Sima Ski Chalet, said the city has also been working on fire abatement there.

It hired a contractor last winter to build a fire line along a different portion of the Copper Haul Road. The fire line is meant to give firefighters easier access to the area.