Wildfire burning near Wellesley Lake lodge, visible from Alaska Highway in southwest Yukon

A wildfire burning in southwest Yukon is threatening a wilderness lodge and cabins, and is visible from the Alaska Highway near the White River. Wildfire activity increased significantly on Sunday due to hot and dry weather.

The Snag Lake 1 (BC-001) wildfire is burning in the Beaver Creek fire district. As of 8 pm Sunday, the fire was burning close to the southwest edge of Wellesley Lake. Smoky conditions prevented wildfire officials from flying over the fire, but satellite imagery showed fire activity as close as 1 kilometre to the lake.

Our first priority when responding to a wildfire is keeping people safe. Buildings at Wellesley Lake include cabins on the southwest edge, and the Kluane Wilderness Lodge on the northeast edge. Wildland Fire Management is in contact with the lodge and cabin owners. The lodge staff and guests (9 people total) may be evacuated Monday by Wildland Fire Management, depending on smoke conditions. The lodge is not considered at risk from fire overnight, and has structure protection in place. The status of the cabins is unknown, but no people are present there or at risk. The lake is fly-in access only.

The smoke column from this fire was very visible from the Alaska highway near White River on Sunday. The wildfire is burning more than 15 kilometres east of Snag Junction, east of the White River. It is more than 30 kilometres north of Koidern on the Alaska Highway. The highway and buildings along the highway are not at risk.

If you have concerns about wildfire smoke, talk to your healthcare professional or call Healthline at 811. You can find more information about wildfire smoke online here.

The BC-001 wildfire was first reported on June 5, 2024 and was last measured at over 2,000 hectares in size. Further updates on this fire will be on the Wildfire Hub.

Contact

Fire Information Officer
867-393-7415 or yukonfireinfo@yukon.ca