4 people evacuated from fishing lodge near Wellesley Lake, Yukon; wildfire burns 3 cabins

Four people were evacuated from a fishing lodgeand three cabins went up in flames Monday morning as a wildfireburnedout of control at the edge ofWellesley Lake in southwest Yukon.

Yukon Wildland Fire Management said that by Monday afternoon the fire was "quiet"and there'd been a small rainfall.

Two wildfire officers and a three-person crew worked withlodge owners and staff onstructure protection.

As of the latest update on Tuesday, the fire had burned over 2,000 hectares.

The wildfire ismore than 15 kilometres east of Snag Junction, east of the White River, andmore than 30 kilometres north of Koidern along the Alaska Highway

Brian Dack, owner of the Kluane Wilderness Lodgewhich guests were evacuated from said the fire hadbeen smouldering since June.

"Then three days ago was just the perfect storm," Dack said. "It hit 35 degrees and the wind started blowing and it took off in the afternoon."

Then, itgot worse.

"It was just total black [from the smoke]. And when I was down where it started, trying to save the outfitter'scabin and it was just likea jet engine. Itwas so loud and flames were scooting sky-high and [there were] big water twisters in the water."

Dack said he's still at the lodge, where fire crews are also staying.

He also said getting the guests out went smoothly and that Tuesday hadbrought cooler, wetter weather.

"They were fine with it. There was no panic," he said.

Julia Duchesne,a fire information officer with Wildland Fire Management, told CBCNews on Tuesday afternoon that the fire hasn't advanced much, but is still creating lots of smoke.

"We can expect it to keep generating a lot of smoke for the time being," shesaid.

Wildfire smokes continues to blanket much of the Yukon, she said.

"That's something that people should keep in mind their own personal health and safety and how that might be impacted by wildfire smoke."

She said fire crews on site at the lodge are setting up sprinklers and pumps and cutting trees down in the area to create a fire break.

The smoke column from the fire was visible in the area near White River on the Alaska Highway.

In a separate update, Yukon Protective Services said the highway and buildings along the highway are not at risk at this time.