BLM Alaska Fire Service is aggressively working from both the air and the ground on a fire burning 1.5 miles northwest of the Salcha River. The Ninetyeight Creek Fire (#391) is burning just within the Yukon Training Area and 3 miles northeast of where the mouth of the Ninetyeight Creek runs into the Salcha River. Eight smokejumpers were on the ground with four more ordered at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. Six water-scooping aircraft, including four Fire Boss airplanes and two larger water-scoopers, plus an air retardant tanker were helping from the air.
At 7:45 p.m., the fire was reported as 20-30 acres and quickly growing. It was 100% active and burning in black spruce. A cabin is approximately 1.5 miles from the edge of the fire.
Firefighters and aircraft will continue working late into the night to suppress this fire.
The suspected cause of the fire is lightning.
There will be an update in the morning.
For more information, contact the Alaska Interagency Fire Information Office at (907)356-5511.
Map of Ninetyeight Creek Fire near the Salcha River on June 26, 2019. Click 6-26-19 98 Creek Fire (391) for PDF version of map.
Categories: Active Wildland Fire, AK Fire Info, BLM Alaska Fire Service
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 