Poor visibility due to forest fire has closed down part of Robert Campbell Highway connecting Ross River and Watson Lake, according to officials in the territory.
Mike Fancie, a Yukon Wildland Fire Management fire information officer, said on June 28 that a fire burning approximately one kilometre from the gravel road is churning up smoke.
“The area is smoked out by the fire, and so that makes it unsafe to travel on,” he said.
Fancie said there are eight firefighters, an officer and a helicopter working on the fire.
“It’s a fire that we’re taking very seriously,” he said, adding that hot, dry weather is leading to these outcomes.
Fancie is cautioning people to make appropriate plans in case they do need to travel in the area.
Yukon 511 tweeted about the Highway 4 closure on the afternoon of June 28. Updates on the website indicate the highway from kilometres 230 to 362 remained closed on the morning of June 29.
So far this year the Yukon has seen 37 wildfires that have burned a total of 3,616 hectares.
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com