Poison Lake fire closes section of Yukon's Robert Campbell Highway

The Robert Campbell Highway in eastern Yukon has been closed because of an advancing forest fire.

It's closed north of Watson Lake between kilometre 30 and kilometre 110.

Two people who live in that area have voluntarily relocated elsewhere.

The Poison Lake fire has crossed the Frances River and is moving east toward the highway. It's grown to 17,000 hectares since it began in July.

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The fire is still 40 kilometres northwest of Watson Lake.

Spokesperson Breagha Fraser of the Wildland Fire Management Branch said the town is so far not threatened.

Watch this video of the Windy Arm fire at Tagishsent in byVanesa Renovalez.

There are 27fires burning around the territory with about 56,000hectares burned.

The government banned campfires Fridayat the Watson Lake, Simpson Lake, Frances Lake and Big Creek territorial campgrounds in southeast Yukon.

Fraser said the Windy Arm fire about 83 kilometres southeast of Whitehorse is an estimated 90 hectares in size.

It can be seen from the South Klondike Highway and the Conrad campground on the opposite side of the lake. There are no structures or other values there, Fraser said, and it's not being fought.

There was a small fire in Whitehorse at Miles Canyon on Thursday caused by an abandoned campfire, said Fraser. It's a reminder to properly extinguish fires, she said.

Fire danger ratings remain extreme or high for most of the territory.

With files from Sandi Coleman