Close to 900,000 acres burned in Yukon during the 1969 forest fire season, the worst for many years.

John Gass superintendent of Yukon Forest Service said today present total stands at 733,436 acres burned in 97 fires in protected zones; 129,255 acres burned in 30 fires in unprotected zones. Additional acreage in another large unfought fire is now being computed and will add to the final total.

In 1968, 76 fires burned 17,620 protected acres and ten more burned 15,201 acres in unprotected zones for a mere total of 42,821. This is what Mr. Gass call "a normal season". But in 1967 the fire season totaled 92 fires which covered ten times the `68 total, burning 321,312 acres.

This summer the Yukon experienced the hottest, driest month of June in history with temperatures soaring into the 90s and the forests tinder dry.

Mr. Gass says "It was a lulu and were sure glad to get that wet weather in late July and August. I never saw such a build-up. We expected something nasty and we got it."

Another contributing factor to the frantic season was the number of man-caused fires which plagued the Forestry crews. Because the bush was so dry, every one of them was a bad fire as soon as it started. Crews were up to their necks in man-caused fires by the time the normal number of lightning-cause fires began, which doubled their misery. Mr. Gass said Alaska’s experience had been the same as Yukon’s.

There were upwards of 300 men fighting Yukon forest fires at one time, with more than double that number on the total payroll for the season.

"It’s expensive!" says Gass. In addition to helicopters and small aircarft flying on forestry contracts, two Mitchell B25 bombers were brought in at the worst part of the season.

Summing it up, the forestry superintendent says, "We expected a bad season - and it was."