150-Person Camp Setup in Dease Lake to Help Tackle Local Wildfires

Friday, 31 May 2019 15:33

Photo courtesy of Tahltan Nation Development Corporation

BC Wildfire Service Fire Information Officer Caroyl Bartos says a 150-person fire camp is being established around Dease Lake this weekend to house firefighters and wildfire management personnel in the area for the summer.

Bartos says firefighters will be working out of the Dease Lake camp on a rotational basis throughout the summer to battle current or possible new blazes.

"We are looking into putting in a 150-person camp in the Dease Lake area. That's so we can have a local fire response team in case for the potential of fire starts in the area. We're just being proactive in response to the high drought code conditions."

Bartos says wildfire crews in the area continue to battle multiple holdover fires burning in the Telegraph Creek area.

"The 2018 Alkali Lake Fire currently has six holdover fires associated with it. Right now we have crews working on one holdover fire that is about 40 kilometres northwest of Telegraph Creek. Today we also have 17 firefighters also being assisted by a helicopter dropping water at that location. We also have an additional 12 firefighters working on another holdover fire about six kilometres northeast of Telegraph Creek."

Bartos says despite the challenge in fighting the holdover fires, including with firefighters having to look up to nine feet underground in the spring to trace the spreading blazes, she says crews currently have the fires under control.

"The fires they're fighting right now have not grown in size. The have been working them. There's been one air tanker dropping retardant on the one fire spotted northwest of Telegraph Creek which has not increased in size. Right now it's holding at 50 hectares."

In August 2018, the Alkali Lake wildfire ripped through the community of Telegraph Creek, burning over 120,000 hectares and taking out much of the community with it.

More from CHON-FM Northern News

Whitehorse Emergency Shelter Sees Another Tragic Death, Family Demands Answers

Bailey's biological father also died at the shelter in 2021, and she claims that the shelter's staff provided conflicting accounts of the circumstances surrounding the death of her Step father.
Yukon Risks Blackouts This Winter as Hydro Power Plant Undergoes Repairs

The Aishihik turbine was critically damaged in October, and repair work is not expected to be completed until spring.
Yukon government accused of budgeting interference

Letters from three independent officers of the assembly question Management Board for changing budgets after approval.
Liard First Nation chief has lost confidence, been suspended by his community

LFN citizens who attended a public meeting Tuesday in Watson Lake overwhelmingly sided with the Deputy Chief and Council members who drafted a resolution to have Chief Stephen Charlie suspended from his duties
Liard First Nation Employees Fired After Advocating for Change

Emeral Poppe and Diana Lee Jimmy have been vocal advocates for change within Liard First Nation, raising concerns over transparency.
YFNED kicks off fifth-annual winter hamper program

"We try to support local as much as we can." - YFNED Acting Director of First Nation Initiatives Kim Rumley
Broken generator at Aishihik Generating Station puts pressure on the Yukon's electricity grid

The 12-megawatt generator failed due to a part malfunction, according to the Yukon Energy Corporation
Intergovernmental Forum takes place in Ottawa - not Yukon - for second year running

Forum discussed collaborative approaches to funding the implementation of Final and Self-Government Agreements.
Suspected contamination at the abandoned Wolverine Mine: Yukon government

The Yukon government has been addressing water treatment issues at the site since the mine's abandonment in 2015
Food For Fines Campaign Returns to Whitehors

Eligible tickets include: Expired parking meter fines, and Two-hour zone fines.
Yukon First Nations leadership and Yukon government leadership meet for 30th Yukon Forum

This was the third Yukon Forum of 2024. The last will be the Intergovernmental Forum in Ottawa in December.
Shot in the Dark Productions premiered two films at the Yukon Arts Centre

Shot in the Dark Productions believes puppets can captivate both children and adults, conveying important environmental science themes through entertainment.
Former Connective staff acquitted of sexual assault and exploitation charges

Judge Gurmail Gill found Omale not guilty due to inconsistencies in the complainant's testimony and lack of forensic evidence.
Whitehorse RCMP officers to start using body-worn cameras

The Yukon RCMP adopts body-worn cameras to bolster trust, accountability, and transparency in its community services
Whitehorse Community Thrift Store volunteers stop work following store manager's termination by its board of directors.

Thrift store society founder Karen Weinberg says the manager was fired for raising safety concerns.
Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin, Yukon NDP blast Yukon government for delays in Dawson Regional Land Use Plan

“Every day this plan doesn’t get done is another day of status quo for the mining industry. It’s starting to feel like this is by design.” - Yukon NDP Leader Kate White
Newly elected Whitehorse Mayor and Council sworn into office

Mayor Kirk Cameron and Councillors Anne Middler, Dan Boyd, Lenore Morris, Eileen Melynchuk, Jenny Hamilton, and Paolo Gallina have taken their oaths of office.
2024 Yukon River fall chum salmon run records dismal numbers

The Porcupine River revealed alarmingly low numbers, with 16,275 and 8,368 fish recorded
Trial of Former Connective residential support worker accused of sexually assaulting a vulnerable client commenced in Whitehorse territorial court on Monday.

Omale, 38 has pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual assault and sexual exploitation of a person with a disability stemming from September 2023.
Whitehorse residents join Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition's Actions for Accountability Rally

Dozens of people marked Poverty and Homelessness Accountability week with a walk to the Jim Smith building, where the mother of a homeless man spent the night camping in the parking lot.