The remote fly-in community of Old Crow in Yukon has been ordered to evacuate due to an increased risk of wildfires caused by a weather change. The Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation government issued the evacuation order as a precautionary measure, citing the expected significant increase in winds from the north and northeast over the next two days. This community, consisting of approximately 250 people and situated about 800 kilometers north of Whitehorse, has been under an evacuation alert since August 3 due to nearby wildfires.
To facilitate the evacuation, Air North, an airline partially owned by the First Nation, will transport residents from Old Crow to Inuvik using small aircraft, from where they will be transferred to a larger plane to fly them to Whitehorse. Old Crow is the second Yukon community to be recently placed under an evacuation order. Mayo, located about 400 kilometers north of Whitehorse, was ordered to evacuate on Sunday due to the nearby Talbot Creek fire.
Currently, there are 138 fires burning in Yukon, according to the Yukon government. In British Columbia, the Donnie Creek wildfire, one of the largest ever recorded in the province, has been downgraded from a “wildfire of note” due to favorable weather conditions, rainfall, and suppression efforts. However, the fire is still considered out of control and is expected to remain on the fire map for a significant period of time.
In the fire zone near Burns Lake, British Columbia, the wildfire service has classified six blazes as being held, indicating progress in containment efforts. The wildfire service is currently dealing with over 400 fires in the province.
All evacuation orders have now been lifted in Osoyoos, Southern B.C., where a wildfire threatened the area last month. The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen has also canceled its state of local emergency regarding the Eagle Bluff wildfire. Evacuation orders have been downgraded to alerts, and previously alerted homes are no longer subject to further restrictions.
During the peak of the emergency, more than 700 properties were under evacuation orders, and an additional 2,000 were on alert as strong winds pushed the fire towards Osoyoos. However, a shift in winds redirected the flames away from the town.