The Fairbanks Area Forestry office mobilized approximately 40 additional firefighters on Tuesday to assist in attacking a wildfire burning along the Teklanika River southwest of Fairbanks.
The Teklanika Fire (#651) is located on the east bank of the Teklanika River approximately 70 miles southwest of Fairbanks and 12 miles west of the Parks Highway near Mile 275. The fire was discovered at around 3 p.m. on Monday after a detection flight was requested due to modis heat dots showing in the area.
The fire was initially sized up at 5 acres with a 100 percent active perimeter. It was burning in black spruce and tundra. No resources were immediately threatened by the fire.
The fire is located approximately 8 miles southwest of the 896-acre Kobe Fire near the community of Anderson, which started on July 11 and is still being fought by about 160 firefighters.
Three air tankers and four water-scooping aircraft responded from Fairbanks Monday night to slow the fire’s spread with retardant and water drops. Seven smokejumpers and eight heli-rapellers were also deployed on the fire. By the time the first firefighters got on the ground at around 8:30 p.m., the fire had grown to an estimated 10 acres.
Firefighters immediately began cutting a saw line around the fire, as well as helicopter landing spots to shuttle in supplies and other firefighters.
A nine-person helitack crew from California and a 10-person rappel squad from Oregon were flown into the fire Tuesday morning. The 21-person White Mountain Type 2 Initial Attack Crew from Fairbanks was shuttled into the fire by helicopter late Tuesday afternoon.
Firefighters were continuing to cut a saw line around the fire Tuesday and were also begin setting up pumps and hose around the fire to provide a water source to extinguish it.
Categories: Active Wildland Fire, AK Fire Info
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 