Dawson gears up to assault forest fires

by DAN DAVIDSON  Star Correspondent

DAWSON CITY - Dawsonites were treated to an unusual spectacle Monday evening as an eerie darkness overtook the town at about 7:30, followed immediately by rain and high winds. That lasted only about a half-hour, but drenched the community.

It did not have so much of an effect on the forest fires just a few kilometres beyond the crest of the Midnight Dome.

Residents in the country residential Dome subdivisions are being advised to plan for the possibility of an evacuation. The Dome is densely-covered with highly flammable black spruce.

To alleviate the danger there, Cat crews are working to complete fire breaks around the Dome to cut it off in case fire should advance up that valley. Telecommunications sites on the mountain will also be guarded.

Meanwhile, due to extreme fire conditions, the Yukon Forest Fire Centre has imposed a ban on all open flames in the Dawson, Whitehorse, Teslin, Haines Junction, Carmacks and Mayo districts that are not within approved campground fire pits.

Burning permits are also cancelled for the regions, the centre said this morning.

Al Beaver is one of the specialists brought in to assess the Klondike fires, which are the territory's number one priority. He says the two-year drought that's sucked the moisture out of the forests and left them a tinder box will only be cured by a lot more than 15 to 20 millimetres of steady rain.

At least the wind, out of the southwest and blowing north, was in Dawson's favour, sending fires #11 and #2 back against ground they had already partially burned. A weather forecast of unstable air could be either good or bad at this point.

A clearing of the air might provide some respite for residents and visitors who have been breathing air they can see since last Thursday. However, it would also expose the fire area to the unchecked warming power of the sun.

Helping crews get fire lines in place has been the relative chill of the smoke-shrouded nights and the fact that it hasn't been able to get very warm during the day.

Paul Butra, chief spokesman for the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, said there were no major "events" on Monday. A lot of progress had been made in establishing Cat guards between the fires and around areas "with values" along the Yukon River.

Officials describe Dawson #7 as being basically "out". Number 7 could become part of the fire guard which will now be constructed to keep fires #11 and #2 from advancing on the town and on Moosehide. There is also the extinguished patch of fire #16 to tie into this guard.

No one at the regular evening meeting Monday suggested anything like evacuation procedures were needed, although the plans are being developed, just in case. The meetings will continue through the crisis.

Butra and Beaver expressed confidence that Dawson proper is not in danger, but noted that smoke could become more of a problem than it is now. One hotel owner at Sunday's meeting noted that guests with respiratory problems or contact lenses were already uncomfortable.

On Monday, the fires were considered stable here. Additional firefighters arrived during the evening and a camp is being established on Tr'ondek Hwech'in First Nation lands near the airport.

A public mailing circulated through the post office on Monday afternoon advised that the community is safe, though "there may be threat of hot ash and embers falling on personal properties."

Citizens were asked to shut off all bleeders and tend to any potential fire hazards around their homes. Bleeders continue to run in Dawson due to the fact that the aquifer which feeds the water supply is barely above freezing. The water must be slightly heated (from waste heat at the power plant) or kept moving to prevent freeze-ups even when the surface temperatures are in the mid-20s or higher.

The mailing was very clear that "this is not an evacuation notice," but it was noted at the evening meeting that there has been some speculation about this around town.

The Emergency Measures Broadcast Radio System began to broadcast advisories on 91.1 of the FM band. This is the same system that's often used in years when floods threaten, so it's familiar to people here.

Daily meetings continue, with representatives from DIAND, the City of Dawson, the RCMP, the Yukon government, Tr'ondek Hwech'in, the Rangers, and the local media.