Canyon Creek Fire closes highway briefly

by SARAH DAVISON   Star Reporter

The fire in Canyon Creek has now replaced the blaze near Old Crow as number one on the federal Forest Service's high priority list.

It more than doubled in size Wednesday and jumped the Alaska Highway, forcing a road closure lasting five hours. The fire covers 275 hectares today compared to Wednesday's estimate of 100.

Highways personnel closed the road at 2:30 p.m. when the fire leapt north to south across the highway. They re-opened it at 7:30 p.m.

Canyon Creek is a highway community of some 15 families near Champagne, approximately halfway between Whitehorse and Haines Junction.

Gordon Eftoda of the Yukon government's highways branch says he doesn't anticipate a second road closure. But the fire is now racing eastward along the highway, thanks to a westerly wind.

"There are buildings all along there," Al Beaver of the federal Forest Service said at today's daily press briefing in Whitehorse.

Crews have been working hard to save the 15 or so homes in the community, rushing to build lines doused with fire retardant as the fire eats its way close to the structures.

"Everything in the area was in immediate danger at one time," said Beaver.

The situation with evacuation remains confused. The Forest Service and the federal government referred reporters to the Emergency Measures Coordinator, Paul Albertson, as the man responsible for evacuations. However, he was unavailable all day Wednesday. Today he said he is not "getting involved in it," and referred inquiries to the Champagne-Aishihik Indian Band office.

Marg Johnson at the band office said people are all packed and ready to hop in their vehicles if need be. But many are refusing to leave their homes unless it's absolutely necessary. People started packing up their possessions on their own initiative, she said.

As for the Emergency Measures Coordinator: "We haven't seen hide nor hair of him. But there's so many people there, nobody's going to stop to ask questions."

Overnight rain and lower temperatures, Old Crow's saving grace, aren't helping in Canyon Creek. The area is notorious for winds, said Beaver, and they were expected to pick up once again this afternoon.

The fire near Old Crow meanwhile, is improving, Beaver said. "The weather patterns have changed significantly in our favour."

Although it's increasing in size, Beaver said easterly winds are pushing the fire westward into an observation zone where it can burn itself out.

The fire remains three kilometres from the community. "It hasn't moved any closer to the village of Old Crow in the last five days," he noted.

Crews are taking advantage of the better weather to improve the lines, and are concentrating especially on widening the break between Old Crow and the fire. The residents of the northern Yukon community of 270 were flown to Inuvik, N.W.T. last weekend.

Two Alaskan crews are being de-mobbed and sent home.

The fire near Mayo also improved overnight thanks to the rain. Crews used Caterpillars to build a line around the northward edge of the blaze, which has held, said Beaver. However, it may still run east, which could increase the fire's long-term hazard.

Meanwhile, however, the Forest Service is blessing the weather.

"The forecast is in our favour with more seasonable temperatures, and no prediction for a major ridge to give us the record-setting temperatures we had last week," said Beaver.