June 23, 2015 4:30 PM

FIRE REPORT, SOUTHWEST AREA

EXTREME FIRE DANGER throughout Southwest Alaska!
THE STATE FIRE MARSHALL AND DIVISION OF FORESTRY HAVE ISSUED A

BURN BAN ON ALL State, Municipal and Private Lands OF WESTERN ALASKA

CURRENT SOUTHWEST WILDFIRE ACTIONS PLAN

Suppression or protection action will be taken only on fires that are an immediate threat to life. Action will therefore be limited to protecting communities and occupied sites that are in imminent fire threat. Other fires will be monitored to the extent possible.

Situation:

Several days of lightning strikes on tinder-dry forest and tundra have started many new fires. In Southwest Alaska, there were 20 new fires yesterday and currently there are over 70 active wildfires. Across Alaska, there were 11,200 lightning strikes yesterday. Thunderstorms are predicted for the next two days. New fire starts spread quickly. Because fires are burning in critical places across the state, fire control resources of all kinds are in short supply

.

Crew Staging:

The fire crews in Southwest are being staged at places where runways make it possible to quickly move them by fixed-wing aircraft to where they are needed. Four crews are in Southwest: Helena T2 IA, Lower Kalskag, Nikolai and Salt Lake County 1 T2 IA. The staging is being organized to serve several clusters of communities

– where fire currently threatens.

Stony River (Lime Village)

Fire 348-Why Lake

– Large fire 12 miles downriver from Lime Village.

Fire 452

– Kutokbuna Lake

– Across the river from Fire 348 and on the same side as Lime Village.

Middle Kuskokwim communities (Crooked Creek, Chuathbaluk, Aniak and Lower Kalskag.

Fire 540-Village Creek –

3.5 miles west of Crooked Creek. Site protection work completed by Salt Lake County Crew.

Fire 546-Mission Creek

– 5 miles north of Chuathbuluk.

Fire 547-North Aniak –

7 miles northwest of Aniak.

Fire 229-Whitefish Lake1

– 18,600 acres and expanding. The Lower Kalskag crew is phasing out its work on that fire and will be relocated as part of readiness staging.

Upper Kuskokwim communities: Nikolai, Medfra and McGrath.

Fire 455-Soda Creek

– 16 miles NE of Nikolai. Heat sensing satellite indicates approximately 2,500 acres.

Fire 552-Medicine Creek

– 3.5 miles east of Medfra.

Fire 468-John Reek Creek. –

10 miles northwest of McGrath. The Nikolai crew continues to mop up the 5-acre fire. The crew will then be relocated as part of readiness staging.

Other fires with occupied places nearby. Togiak, Portage Creek, Big River, King Salmon

Fire 510-Gechiak Lake

– North of Togiak – Occupied site nearby?

Fire 513-Togiak River –

West of Togiak

Fire 499 Big River –

Remote Parcels area.

Fire 514-Copenhagen Creek –

SE of Portage Creek, east of Dillingham

Fire 544-Keefer Cutoff

– North of Portage Creek

Fire 412- Paul’s Creek

and Fire 413- Coffee Creek – remain active, 12 miles northeast of King Salmon

.

“Ever changing and fluid”

Urgent fire threats shift from day to day and hour to hour in our current thunderstorm climate. Wildfire planning and actions are subject to flex accordingly.

CONTACT: Francis Mitchell, Public Information Officer, Southwest Area, Division of Forestry
NOTE PHONE # CHANGE Pho

ne 907 524 0064 fireinfoSWS@gmail.com

Categories: AK Fire Info