Prior to getting the call, Yukon First Nations Wildfire noted in a July 25 Facebook post that it had two 20-person crews ready to step up if other jurisdictions needed their help.
They didn't have to wait long.
A request for help from Alberta Wildfire reached the Yukon via the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre on the evening of July 27, according to Yukon fire information officer Haley Ritchie.
A Yukon government press release on July 29 announced a 20-person Yukon First Nations Wildfire crew plus a Yukon Wildland Fire Management agency representative are being deployed to High Level in Northern Alberta.
They are set to leave July 30.
Mark Giles, fire information officer for the High Level area, can't confirm where the crew will be assigned, as of shortly after noon on July 30.
According to a July 29 evening update on the situation in the High Level area from Alberta Wildfire, the Semo Wildfire Complex is ablaze north of John D'Or Prairie, Garden River and Fox Lake. All three Little Red River Cree Nation communities are under evacuation orders, although Chief Conroy Sewepagaham said in a video posted to Facebook that re-entry has been under discussion.
It appears the Yukon firefighters could be joining personnel from Alaska, Mexico and Australia in the High Level area. Alberta Wildfire said there are 440 firefighters and support personnel, 20 helicopters and 70 pieces of heavy equipment working on the Semo Wildfire Complex.
“As Yukoners, we all understand the profound impact that wildfires can have on our communities,” Community Services Minister Richard Mostyn said in the press release.
“As we see the heartbreaking impacts of wildfires in Alberta and British Columbia, we reflect on the times our own communities have been threatened by natural disasters and the support that we received from other provinces and territories.”
In addition, 29 Yukon firefighters along with officers and specialist personnel are assisting British Columbia Wildfire Service across the province. That includes a heavy airtanker and accompanying bird dog plane and air attack officer to support the Cranbrook Fire Zone operations.
The release notes that the current wildfire situation in the Yukon allows for these deployments.
Crews can be deployed out of territory for up to 19 days including travel, while the Yukon government can recall crews on 24-hours' notice.
“Adequate crews will remain at all Yukon fire bases to respond to incidents in the Yukon,” reads a press release.
B.C. has close to 350 active wildfires across the province, including 22 evacuation orders and 22 alerts, as of July 30.
More than 120 wildfires were burning in Alberta’s forest protection area, the area concerned with the prevention and control of damage to forests from fires and the like, as of the July 29 update.
The Canadian Forces have been mobilized to help firefighting efforts in Jasper and Jasper National Park.
Wildfires tore through the historic town of Jasper, with damage within the townsite estimated at about 30 per cent, according to Parks Canada. A Facebook post by the federal agency notes 358 out of 1,113 structures in town have been destroyed.
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com
