Rainy weather prompts Yukon to lift fire ban

The government of Yukon has revokeda fire ban issued last week for the southern territory, as rainy conditions have lessened the risk of wildfire.

The ban was in place for most of the southern territory. It applied to all open fires, including campfires and fireworks,in the areas of Whitehorse, Teslin, Haines Junction, Ross River and Watson Lake.

"Last week's fire ban was enacted to limit the risk of human-caused fires during a period of extremely hot and dry conditions and high operational wildfire requirements," said Damien Burns of Yukon Wildland Fire Management, in a news release.

The ban was issued as firefighters were ramping up efforts to battle a growing fire near Haines Junction last week. The Bear Creek fire is not yet under control, but rain in recent days has helped firefighters make progress.

There are no areas of Yukon now under a fire ban.

As of Tuesday, the fire danger rating was considered "low" for most of Yukon, thanks to the wet weather.

There are no "extreme" fire danger ratings anywhere in the territory, and only the Ross River area has a "high" fire danger rating.

So far this year there have been 29 wildfires in Yukon, burning about 16,116 hectares.Eight of those fires are still considered active.