Yukon ready for fire season, as air tanker groups arrive

Yukon fire crews are welcomingsome extra help to battle this season's wildfires:firefighting aircraft, hired by the government.

They arrived earlier this week and have been engaged in training exercises around Whitehorse.

There are six aircraft in total two spotter planes, a large Lockheed L-188 tanker, and three Air Tractorswhich were previously used as crop dusters.

Yukon's Fire Information OfficerGeorge Maratos describes the Air Tractors as "a little smaller in size, but really efficient.They can get in areas that maybe bigger aircraft cannot."

Maratos saidthe aircraft are the same ones that were in Yukonlast year.

So far this year, Yukon has seen 10 wildfires, but only one is still active. It's an estimated 227-hectareblaze near Hunker Creek, about 24 kilometres from Dawson City. Firefighters and helicopters have been fighting it for the past week.

As of Thursday, the fire danger was considered "low" for most regions of Yukon, but "moderate" in Carmacks and Whitehorse, while the HainesJunction area was deemed"extreme."