#McKinleyFire Twenty firefighters and three civilians have been injured by hazards unique to the extreme drought that has resulted in the enormous quantity and size of ash pits and falling trees. While suppression efforts are nearly complete, Incident Commander trainee Peter Butteri speaks from the heart to the remaining fire personnel at the 8:00am operational briefing.
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— Tuesday September 10 Update —
Crews worked closely with local resource advisors to conduct repair work on suppression firelines in the southern part of the fire. Today repair work will occur throughout the fire area. Efforts will be focused on completing as much repair as possible so that a smaller Type 3 local incident management team can successfully assume command of the fire this coming weekend. Firefighters will continue to patrol and monitor the area as well.
Total resource numbers assigned to the fire continue to decline, from a maximum of 560, as crews demobilize from the incident as their tour comes to an end.
All power is restored to the area and any residents experiencing issues should call the Matanuska Electric Association. Residences from milepost 81.5 to 92 of the Parks Highway are still in evacuation “Level 1-Ready.” The Parks Highway speed limit remains 45 mph through the fire vicinity.
Extreme caution and a high level of awareness is urged for residents within the fire perimeter and woodcutters along the Parks Highway. Deep pockets of burning organic material called ashpits, along with snags pose significant dangers to anyone inside the burn area.
Closures: A portion of Willow Swamp (Game Management Unit 14A) is closed due to the Deshka Landing Fire. For more info, visit the Alaska Department of Fish and Game website at https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/.
Disaster Assistance: There are several agencies with information on disaster assistance; please visit Alaska Wildland Fire Information: https://bit.ly/2lzpyZu for detailed contact information.
The Disaster Assistance Center will be open for fire survivors to register for the State of Alaska Individual Assistance at the following location: Willow United Methodist Church (29286 Parks Hwy) Willow, AK 99688. September 4-11 from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The center will be closing 9/11 at 2:00pm.
Smoke forecasts can be found at: www.wildlandfiresmoke.net
The Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) over the McKinley Fire has been lifted.
Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) distributes donations like clothes, shoes, winter gear, bedding, and food. They have locations in Big Lake, Wasilla, Talkeetna, and Willow. 907-745-5827
#akwildfire #alaskawildfire #dnrwildfire #msbem
McKinley Fire, Deshka Fire, Alaska Wildfires, Wildfires 2019, Willow Alaska, DOF Wildfires, BLM Alaska, AK Fire Info, Mat-Su Wildfire
Categories: AK Fire Info
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 