Crews respond to fire at Whitehorse dump

There was an all-out effort by firefighters Wednesday night to prevent a fire at the Whitehorse landfill from spreading.

City firefighters as well as volunteer departments from the rural communities surrounding the city fought the fire.

Whitehorse fire chief Clive Sparks said the fire was out by 11 p.m.

"We really don't know what potentially started it," he said.

"There was some material taken up just before closing time and dumped in that area and it was possibly something in there but we don't know for sure and probably never will because everything's been disturbed and torn up and moved around by heavy equipment to make sure the fire was put out."

A piece of compacting equipment belonging to the dump's contractor was also damaged in the fire and will need to be replaced. 

Yukon Wildland Fire Management said the spotter in its tower on Haeckel Hill reported the fire just before 6 p.m. Wildland Fire Management made its firefighting aircraft available, but they were not needed.