Iqaluit (July 09/04) - The Richardson Mountains, usually visible from town, have been hidden in a band of smoke coming from several forest fires burning in the Yukon.

Although there are no fires burning in this region, RWED's Inuvik regional forest manager Mike Gravel said people heading out on the land should be vigilant.

"Our risk is high because it's been so hot and dry," he said.

There have been 27 days in June where recorded temperatures were above seasonal averages.

"The only thing that saved us was that the lightening didn't come over the mountains," said Gravel.

As of Tuesday, there were 22 active forest fires in the Northwest Territories. The closest of these to Inuvik are two fires -- classified by RWED as "out of control" -- burning southwest of Fort Good Hope.

However, according to RWED's communication planning specialist Judy McClinton in Yellowknife, the smoke Inuvik has been experiencing is a result of the fires in the Yukon.

On Monday, officials ordered placer miners outside of Dawson City to evacuate the area due to approaching forest fires.

On Monday, a fire crew helped to bring a tundra fire north of Tuktoyaktuk under control.

That was the third fire in the region this season, adding to the two fires in Fort McPherson that have since been put out.

While the two fires in Fort McPherson were caused by people, Gravel says an investigation to determine the cause of the Tuktoyaktuk fire is continuing.

Despite the human factor in the two fires, Gravel estimates that more than 95 per cent of forest fires in the territory are caused by lightning strikes.

To date, there have been 55 recorded fires in the NWT.