The Whitehorse Fire Department attended seven illegal fires last weekend, Mayor Dan Curtis pointed out at Monday evening’s city council meeting.

“Any one of these could have resulted in a wildfire,” the mayor said in a cautionary if not terse tone.

Curtis began Monday’s meeting with a message to Haines Junction Mayor Thomas Eckervogt and his council, and Chief Steve Smith of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and his council.

As the Bear Creek wildfire burning nine kilometres north of Haines Junction continued to present a challenge for firefighters, Curtis said he wanted to let them know Whitehorse city council’s thoughts are with the community.

Yukon Wildland Fire Management reported Tuesday the Bear Creek fire is not currently posing a threat to Haines Junction, and is burning away from the community. But two properties immediately south of the fire have been issued evacuation alerts, says the report.

The Village of Haines Junction, the First Nation and Wildland Fire Management will be hosting a town hall meeting Wednesday evening at the St. Elias Convention Centre to update the community on fire's status.

Wildland Fire says many communities in the Yukon are currently under extreme fire hazards, including Whitehorse and Haines Junction.

Curtis pointed out that of the seven illegal fires, five were unattended or abandoned campfires.

He also emphasized when the fire danger rating in a community or district is moderate or higher – as it is now in the Whitehorse area – all burning permits are cancelled.

Campfires are allowed even when permits are cancelled, unless the territorial government imposes a ban. No bans are in place currently.

Whitehorse fire chief Mike Dine said Tuesday one of the illegal fires involved burning material other than wood, and the other was too big, approaching the size of a bonfire and not a campfire.

Having the fires reported by concerned citizens who were out hiking or saw the fire from somewhere else was a good thing, he said.

Dine said having to deal with the fires in the first place is not good.

People must know by now that they need to be diligent in ensuring their campfires are extinguished when they leave, he insisted.

Dine said Smokey the Bear has been repeating the same message for some 70 years.

“People need to be diligent.”

He said all seven fires occurred last Saturday and Sunday.

The crew would just be getting back to the firehall and then they’d be going out the door again, he said.

Two of the abandoned campfires were in the Chadburn Lake area and one was in the Long Lake region.

In response to questions from Coun. Samson Hartland, acting city manager Jeff O’Farrell said the Municipal Act does not speak to whether municipalities have the authority to impose fire bans.

There is no record of the city ever imposing a ban on cooking fires, he said.

O’Farrell explained the authority to impose restrictions rests with the Yukon government.

Hartland suggested discussing the matter of jurisdiction over imposing fire bans with the Yukon government is something city council might want to consider.

Some council members have had a number of requests for the city to consider imposing fire bans, Hartland said by phone. He was en route to Quebec City for the annual conference of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

Councillors Laura Cabott and Steve Roddick also participated by phone, as they too were headed to the conference.