Community leaders offer support to wildfire evacuees from Mayo, Yukon
CBC
Good neighbours always look out for each other.
That is why community leaders in Dawson City, Yukon, as well as the Village of Carmacks, and Whitehorse, have stepped up to offer support to residents of Mayo, Yukon, after that community was put under an evacuation order on Sunday afternoon because of wildfire.
As of Monday, the Talbot Creek fire was about four kilometres from Mayo.
In Carmacks, approximately 168 kilometres from Mayo, Mayor Lee Bodie said he got a call from Little Salmon Carmacks Chief Nicole Tom as well as Yukon Community Services Minister Richard Mostyn, about the evacuation underway.
"I said we have a big rec centre here, and an arena that we can utilize," Bodie said.
"I contacted my CAO and said, 'do we have a bus available, and how many working vehicles can we muster together to help the people of Mayo evacuate?'"
Bodie said he and Chief Tom waited to hear back about initiating a plan regarding their rec centre until finally Bodie saw the Yukon Government was advising evacuees to head to the Canada Games Centre in Whitehorse instead.
"They were better able to help the people than we were, because we don't have the cots or the bedding facilities for so many people," Bodie said.
Still, the mayor said Carmacks is ready to help out any way it can.
"We'll do anything in our power to be able to help," he told CBC News. "We're all one big family. They're a part of the First Nation Northern Tutchone, so there's a lot of family and friends coming through — so yeah, we'll work out something and help as much as we can."
Dawson City Mayor Bill Kendrick has also extended his community's support to Mayo residents. Dawson is about 181 kilometres from Mayo.
"I've extended the offer to [Mayo] Mayor [Trevor] Ellis," he said. "Should the City of Dawson be able to help, I'm sure that Dawsonites are prepared to step up to help in any way we can."
At the time the evacuation notice was issued, the North Klondike Highway was closed between Stewart Crossing, Yukon, and the Dempster Corner as wildland firefighters responded to another fire at Gravel Lake.
"The highway was closed...so we couldn't take evacuees in," Kendrick said. "You know, fingers crossed that Mayo gets out of this OK."
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