Air tankers and water-scooping aircraft are responding to a lightning-caused wildfire west of Delta Junction across the Delta River near Delta Creek.
The Rainbow 2 Fire burning approximately 15 miles west of Delta Junction and west of the Tanana River. Alaska Division of Forestry photo.
The Rainbow 2 Fire was reported at 5 p.m. shortly after lightning moved through the area and had grown to an estimated 50 acres by 5:30 p.m. It had grown to an estimated 100 acres as of 7 p.m.
The fire is about 15 miles west of Delta Junction and 2 miles east of Delta Creek. It is approximately 8 miles north of Oregon Lakes Fire that burned 34,499 acres earlier this season.
Tankers and water-scoopers were dropping water and BlazeTamer on the fire in an effort to slow its spread. The air tankers were diverted temporarily from the Shovel Creek Fire north of Fairbanks, which also became active in the afternoon and was being worked by multiple aircraft.
Eight smokejumpers were being deployed to the fire to provide structure protection for cabins on Rainbow Lake and along the Richardson Clearwater River, which is about 8 miles northeast of the fire, in the event it moves that direction. The fire was moving southeast at last report
The fire is burning in solid black spruce with some mixed hardwoods. Extreme fire behavior was initially reported with the perimeter of the fire 100 percent active and 100-foot flame lengths. The fire was spotting 50 yards in front of itself at the head.
The fire is approximately 6 miles due north of the Carla Lake Road (aka Delta Creek Logging Road) and the old Sullivan Lake Roadhouse.
The burn scar from the 2014 100 Mile Creek Fire is to the west of the fire and the burn scar from the 2013 Mississippi Fire is to the south and east.
Categories: Active Wildland Fire, AK Fire Info
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 