File:Fires in northwestern Canada (MODIS 2017-07-03).jpg

English: Multiple fires were burning across northwestern Canada in late June 2017. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of the smoky scene on June 24.

A cluster of red hot spots accompanied by gray smoke blowing strongly to the northeast marked multiple active fires in the Yukon Territory. A heavy river of smoke also forms an arc across the Northwest Territory. Clouds with a circular pattern suggest a storm system in the southwest, likely accompanied by strong winds pushing the smoke towards to the northeast and also upward into the atmosphere.

Information from the Yukon Wildland Fire Management bulletin (WFM) from June 25, 2017 stated that Yukon saw its wildfire total reach 50 for the season as two new wildfires were confirmed Sunday, June 25. The fires are located in the Klondike and Northern Tutchone regions and are burning in the wilderness zone with no values at immediate risk. As of that date, there had been 50 fires burning approximately 69,879 hectares in the Yukon Territory.

On June 30, the Northwest Territories Wildland Fire Update stated that the total number of fires reported in 2017 was 46, affecting about 3,195 hectares. Twenty-nine of those fires had been extinguished, three were under control, and 14 were out of control. That same report stated that the fire danger in Yellowknife and Ingraham Trail area was listed as “Extreme”. The public was asked to avoid lighting camp fires if possible, but if it was essential for food or warmth, then the fires should be built on bare rock, sand, or gravel with a one-meter area free of flammable debris around it. In addition, the public was reminded that persons charged and convicted of causing a wildland fire can be assessed the entire cost of the fire suppression – in some cases, this can be hundreds of thousands of dollars.