Chalkyitsik Complex – #466 (Tractor Trail 2 – #348, Frozen Calf Fire – #367, Bearnose Hill Fire – #407, and Tettjajik Creek #424)
Start Date: 07/09/2019 Location: Chalkyitsik Area Cause: Lightning Fire Size: 482,953 acres Total Personnel: 333
The Alaska Type 2 Green Team with Incident Commander Norm McDonald assumed command of the fire at 0700 this morning from the Alaska Type 2 Black Team. Today is a crew movement day with the Winema, SRV#7, Nanook fire crews and relief incident management personnel flying into Chalkyitsik while Baker River IHC and Middle Fork crews are returning to Fairbanks. Thank you to the community of Chalkyitsik for continued support of fire crews.
All four fires were active within the complex yesterday. “We experienced good firefighting challenged by wind at our face”, said Operations Section Chief Karen Scholl. There was significant fire activity on the eastern edge of the fire. Fire also spotted into pockets of unburned fuel along the Draanjik River corridor keeping fire crews engaged in firefighting. Crews continued to secure and mop-up the indirect line between the Draanjik River and Chahalie Lake to protect structures and allotments. The Frozen Calf, Bearnose Hill and Tractor Trail 2 fires have burned together in multiple locations. A drone equipped with an infrared camera continues to prove invaluable for looking for hot spots along the fire perimeters.
Today, crews are focused on completing the burnout in the vicinity of Ohtig Lake working north along indirect lines to secure the southwest corner of the fire and securing the western perimeter to protect Chalkyitsik. Mop up activities will continue between the Draanjik River and Chahalie Lake along with Point protection of structures within the Draanjik River corridor. Fire crews will support initial attack in the Upper Yukon Zone as requested.
UPDATES: WWW. AKFIREINFO.COM, Joint Fire Information Center (907) 356-5511.
KZPA 900 AM radio in Fort Yukon is airing information updates about the Chalkyitsik Complex of fires daily at 12:50 pm.
WEATHER: A Smoke Advisory issued by the National Weather Service is in effect until noon. The morning will start with a smoke layer which is expected to break up in the afternoon as temperatures reach the high 70s with scattered showers. Isolated thunderstorms are expected throughout the day in the fire area bringing gusty and erratic winds. An increase in fire activity and fire behavior is expected due to the extremely high fire fuel indices and wind.
SAFETY: A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place over Chalkyitsik and some of the surrounding area to provide a safe operating environment for firefighting aircraft. Go to https://tfr.faa.gov for more information on the TFR.
Categories: AK Fire Info
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 
