MAYO, YUKON — Residents of the Yukon Village of Mayo are under an evacuation order as a wildfire inches closer to the small northern community.
The Yukon Emergency Measures Organization says it issued the order at 1 p.m. Sunday due to hazards to life posed by the Talbot Creek wildfire.
The order covers all properties from kilometres 35 to 66 along Yukon Highway 11, known as the Silver Trail.
The order says RCMP will be involved in expediting the evacuation, and people are being asked to report to either the Mayo Community Hall or the Na-Cho Nyak Dun Government Office.
The village of around 450 residents is about a four-and-a-half-hour drive from Whitehorse, and a post from Yukon Protective Services on Saturday says the territory has been experiencing widespread smoky conditions due to wildfire activity.
The evacuation order comes a day after the community was placed on an evacuation alert as the Talbot Creek wildfire crept less than 10 kilometres to the community's south, and was "highly visible" from the village.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 6, 2023.
The Canadian Press