The Yukon is now experiencing its first major outbreak of forest fires for the 1972 fire seasons.

A total of eight fires were started by lightning Thursday afternoon in the Carmacks, Mayo and Elsa regions of the territory some 150 to 300 miles north of Whitehorse.

The fires range in size from one acre to 500 acres and between 300 and 400 men along with nine helicopters are engaged in fighting them.

The Yukon Forest Service is currently without its three A-26 retardent bombers. One had to be returned to Edmonton for repairs to its bombing door, one has engine trouble and the other had undisclosed problems.

Forestry superintendent Edo Nyland said the service had brought in a Bell 212 helicopter from Inuvik to fight a 200 acre blaze at Sullivan Lake in the Mayo-Elsa district.

A total of 200 men were sent into the area from Whitehorse last night to fight all the fires.

There are also two five acre fires reported burning in the area and an eight acre fire.

The service managed to make retardent bombings on all the fires before they returned to Whitehorse out of commission.

Two fires were reported burning in the Camacks area 100 miles north of Whitehorse.

One is a 250-acre blaze at Revenue Creek. A total of 30 men and two helicopters are being used to fight the fire. A one acre fire near Braden Canyon in the Carmacks district has 39 men working on it and as soon as it is out the men will be moved to the Revenue Creek fire.

Reports were not available at press time on a fire that was reported burning in the Dawson area.

A forestry spokesman said no other fires were located on patrols yesterday but the weather office said all areas will remain hot and dry with further thunder activity expected for tonight.

None of the fires are threatening communities at this time but a state of emergency was declared last night to recruit men when all the fires broke out at once.

The fire hazard reading in all parts of the territory is extreme at this time.

A total of 59 fires has been reported so far this year but all were spot fires until yesterday.