Fire restrictions now in place as Yukon bakes in hot, dry weather

Fire restrictions have been issued in the Yukon amid an ongoing heat wave.

As of Thursday, fire use is suspended across the territory except in fire pits and stoves used at road-accessible campgrounds.

Haley Ritchie, a fire information officer with Yukon Wildland Fire, said the hot weather has made things very dry, raising the risk of wildfires that can start easily and spread quickly.

"The good news is, we are seeing hot weather but not a lot of lightning activity is predicted in the forecast. Our main concern is human-started fires," Ritchie said Wednesday.

The fire restrictions are expected to be in place until at least Monday, but Ritchie said it depends on the weather. 

As of Thursday morning, many parts of Yukon — including around Whitehorse, Mayo and Old Crow — were under heat warnings, with things expected to cool a bit starting Friday.

A fire ban has also been issued by Parks Canada for Kluane National Park and Reserve because of the hot, dry conditions. The ban means there can be no fires anywhere in the park, except in permanent fire rings at the Kathleen Lake campground and the Kathleen Lake day use area.

"Right now, we're in our peak visitor season, which means we have many people in the backcountry, which means it's a really important time to reduce the risk of wildfire," said Sarah Chisholm of Parks Canada.

Chisholm said there are notices posted around the park, at the visitor centre and on social media. She couldn't say how long the ban might be in place.

"We're monitoring conditions daily, and we'll lift the ban as soon as conditions permit," she said.