NARRATIVE REPORT - FIRE 1958 NO. 61

Fire No. 61 started at the Army’s Highway Maintenance Camp at Mile 956 Alaska Highway, which was being used as the camp of a surfacing crew. Apparently an Indian employee was living in a tent within the campgrounds and the fire started near his tent. It quickly spread into the bulldozed slash which had resulted from the original clearing of the campsite during the building of the Alaska Highway. This slash was tinder dry and the fire spread very rapidly in it.

The fire was discovered by a cook shortly after the crew had returned to work after lunch. It is believed that this was about 1:30 p.m. July 8, 1958. The cook summoned help and a part of the surfacing crew returned and two bulldozers were obtained. There was also a water pump at the site and with these the crew managed to save the camp buildings from destruction. No attempt to halt the main fire was made nor could have been successful under the circumstances. The loss of the buildings was only narrowly avoided.

The Forest Engineer was by chance en route from Whitehorse while the foregoing was in progress. He arrived at the scene at about 2:30 p.m. at which time the fire was about one quarter mile long and on a front perhaps 200 yards in width. He called the Forestry Headquarters in Whitehorse by telephone as soon as he could and by 4:15 P.m. a crew of ten men with equipment was dispatched from Whitehorse. When the crew arrived at about 4:45 p.m. the fire was about one and one-half miles long and on a front three quarters to one mile in width. The fire was being fanned by very high winds and it was impossible to work in front of it. The crew was put to work along the west side of the fire.

The winds continued to blow strongly from the Southwest night and day and the fire burned strongly 24 hours a day. By July 10, it had advanced eleven miles Eastward and its front was about nine miles long. The work on the West side of the fire had been successful but in contrast with the great perimeter of the fire was insignificant. Work in front of the fire during this period was impossible.

A location at Mile Post 946 Alaska Highway was selected to make a stand against the eastward advance of the fire. A large old burn lay on the south side of the highway and a chain of meadows and lakes on the north aid appeared to offer a chance of stopping the fire. Two bulldozers, a D-7 and a D-8, were moved to this area and began work. Two bulldozers were also sent in on the north side of the Takhini River to stop the fire there. It was hoped that the lines could be joined on opposite sides of the river and the fire halted. This project was carried out vigorously and at one time appeared to offer good chances of success but at the critical point both machines on the south side of the river broke down and the fire out flanked or crossed the lines constructed.

On July 14th, a very high wind sprang up, in the order of 50 m.p.h. and the fire advanced about fifteen miles eastward. It was on this day that the Takhini Hotsprings resort was burned and the buildings at Kawchuk's farm at Mile Post 936. At this point considerable anxiety for the town of Whitehorse and the residents along the Alaska Highway north of the town began to be felt.

A second such advance would inevitably do enormous damage to private property. A site at mile Post 926 was selected as offering the best opportunity for defence. A state of emergency was declared by the Commissioner and all available equipment was moved to this location and fire guards were constructed.

The fire remained fairly static for a couple of days and it was decided to construct lines close to the fire to keep it from gaining headway. However, winds sprang up again and the fire advanced further. It was then decided to backfire from fireguards to the Takhini River and west along the north side of the Alaska Highway to the edge of the fireline. This project was conducted successfully and provided about five miles of effective guard. However, the fire could not be held at the Takhini River and crossed it; swept north eastward and crossed the Yukon River in two places.

NARRATIVE REPORT - 1958 FIRE NO. 61 (Cont'd.)

The fires east of the Yukon River were controlled by hand tools first and as soon as possible bulldozers were moved in to support them. A good line now existed from the Takhini River westward to Mile Post 930. This was extended up the slope of the mountain south of the highway to timberline and as much as possible of it backfired. The danger point remaining lay in the area west of the Yukon between where the two fires had jumped eastward across the river. It was feared that further jumps might occur if this area were not controlled. Although a good line was made along the fire in this area it could not be held in the face of high winds and a third crossing occurred. This was quickly controlled by a crew with hand tools, later supported by bulldozer.

From this point on (this last outbreak occurred on July 28) the situation was more easy although with the great length of line to be patrolled large further expenditures were required. The fire had now reached nearly its final size of 265,000 acres and it was not considered feasible to attempt to control any additional sections of the perimeter.