11:40 a.m. Aug. 20, 2019
Eight Alaska smokejumpers, aided by heavy equipment and villagers, were able to secure two sections of the Levelock Fire that crossed the dozer line and encroached into the village late Monday night. As of this Tuesday, there were no structures lost in the village of Levelock. Smokejumpers estimate the fire has burned as many as 5,000 acres to the west of the small Bristol Bay-area village.
Smokejumpers are utilizing local resources including villagers operating heavy equipment to create fuel breaks around the village and some interior buildings in the southwest corner of the village threatened by the fire. Part of the effort is creating berms outside the village.
Due to prolonged hot and dry conditions in the area, the fire has been hard to control and extinguish. However, unlike thick tundra mat sitting atop permafrost that is typical inAlaska, the tundra mat surrounding Levelock is significantly thinner and sits atop a sand-based soil. This is helpful for building firelines by digging down to the mineral soil to remove any burnable material to prevent the spread of the fire.
Winds of 15-20 mph pushed the fire yesterday after it started to northwest of the village. Winds have since died down. The fire received light precipitation with more predicted, aiding firefighters and villagers with keeping the fire at bay.
Smokejumpers are planning a burn operation Tuesday morning to remove the burnable vegetation and to create a buffer between the fire and the village. More firefighters are expected to join the efforts in the upcoming days.
For more information, contact the Alaska Interagency Fire Information Office at (907)356-5511.
Categories: Active Wildland Fire, AK Fire Info, Alaska DNR - Division of Forestry (DOF)
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 