Additional firefighting resources will be arriving in Whitehorse Thursday from Ontario to assist with the Bear Creek wildfire outside Haines Junction.

Fire information officer Mike Fancie of Wildland Fire Management said this morning 60 firefighters and two CL-415 water bombers are expected to be deployed on the Bear Creek fire Friday.

Another 20 firefighters from the Yukon First Nation Wildfire organization are also scheduled to assist with the fire, which was estimated Tuesday at 571 hectares.

There are currently 20 Yukon firefighters and four helicopters working on the Bear Creek blaze, which is still out of control.

Ontario is also sending fire management team.

The CL-415s load by skimming along the top of a water body.

Fancie said cloudy conditions in the Kluane area are providing a break from the heat today, but there’s been no rain. Consequently, ground conditions remain dry and the Haines Junction area remains under an extreme fire hazard.

An evacuation alert has been given to two property owners who are a couple of kilometres south of the fire, one of them with livestock, he pointed out.

Fancie said firefighters have put up sprinkler systems for structural protection and are reducing fuel around the properties.

The additional resources from Ontario were requested through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.

The fire hazard around many communities, including Whitehorse, remains extreme.

Whitehorse Mayor Dan Curtis issued a statement this morning reminding residents that all burning permits are suspended under the extreme hazard.

At Monday’s city council meeting, Curtis expressed concern about seven illegal fires in the city over the weekend, five of which were either unattended or abandoned campfires.

“We face an extremely dangerous fire season here in the Whitehorse area and the conditions are ripe for wildfires,” the mayor said in this morning’s statement.

“Please be mindful of this fact, and report any smoke or fire that you see by calling 911.”

Wildland Fire Management reports there are eight fires burning in the territory, most of which are in the observation zones, though some have prompted structural protection as a precaution. To date, there have been 27 fires, burning a total of 3,273 hectares.

Parks Canada has implemented a general ban for the Kluane National Park and Reserve.

“Effective immediately, all open fires are prohibited throughout Kluane National Park and Reserve, including permanent or established fire pits and wood stoves normally used for campfires or cooking at park facilities, including Kathleen Lake campground and day use area,” says the notice.

“This fire ban is due to an extreme fire hazard in the area. Visitors are also requested to exercise extra caution in the use of personal cook stoves and the disposal of cigarettes.”

Fancie said officials with Wildland Fire are in regular communication with the representatives from the Village of Haines Junction and the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations.

The community and Wildland Fire will be hosting a town hall meeting this evening at the St. Elias Community Centre to provide an update for area residents, beginning at 6 p.m.

Fancie said the longer-range forecast calls for the continuing influence of a south wind coming out of the Alsek Valley which is blowing the Bear Creek fire northward and away from Haines Junction.

“The Alsek Valley winds have been the dominant factor in determining the fire spread,” he said.

“That is a fairly reliable weather phenomena here in Kluane, so based on our forecast, we see that continuing.”