Wildland Fire Management reminds all residents that you need permission to burn organic debris outside of municipal boundaries between April 1 and September 30. This includes the use of burn barrels, burning brush piles or starting other open fires.
Permission to burn simply requires a call to your regional wildfire office. In Dawson, Watson Lake and Whitehorse city limits, you need permission to burn from your municipal government.
You can use FireSmart principles to reduce home wildfire risk as the snow melts. Clearing and burning brush is a good way to reduce this risk; however, burning must always be done under safe conditions. The Government of Yukon’s Wildland Fire Management Branch only allows private burning when fire danger is low.
With a chance of high winds in the Southern Lakes area this weekend, it’s especially important that people follow the rules provided over the phone as part of permission to burn.
When the snow melts, there can be higher wildfire risk because it reveals the previous year’s dead, dry litter. New grass and other vegetation takes time to sprout, so each spring there is a critical window when preventable human-caused wildfires tend to be more common. It’s also a great time to check on burn piles from the winter to make sure they’re completely out.
Let’s work together to prevent wildfires and protect our communities.
Contact
Mike Fancie
Fire Information Officer, Wildland Fire Management
867-393-7415 or [email protected]