Firefighters and multiple aircraft are busy Friday night trying to suppress the Isom Creek Fire (#187) burning southeast of the Yukon River Crossing on the Dalton Highway. Sixteen BLM Alaska Fire Service smokejumpers and multiple aircraft including two large and small water-scoopers and an Alaska Division of Forestry air retardant tanker were trying to keep the roughly 80-acre fire from Native allotments and structures along the Yukon River to the northwest and northeast of the fire. Smoke is visible from the highway starting around milepost 46.
The Isom Creek Fire is burning southeast of the Dalton Highway near the Yukon River Crossing. This photo, taken at about 6:45 p.m., shows the smokejumpers’ jumpshop in the foreground. Photo by Tim Whitesell, Alaska Division of Forestry 
The Isom Creek Fire is burning southeast of the Dalton Highway Yukon River Crossing. Firefighters and aircraft are busy trying to suppress the fire and keep it from Native allotments and structures along the Yukon River to the northeast and northwest of the fire. Photo by Tim Whitesell, Alaska Division of Forestry 
The Isom Creek Fire is burning southeast of the Dalton Highway Yukon River Crossing. Firefighters and aircraft are busy trying to suppress the fire and keep it from Native allotments and structures along the Yukon River to the northeast and northwest of the fire. Photo by Tim Whitesell, Alaska Division of Forestry
The fire was reported around 4:15 p.m. by BLM AFS firefighter personnel aboard an aircraft on the look out for new fires due to lightning that came through the area this week.
The fire is reported to be burning at a moderate rate of spread in mostly black spruce with a mixture of hardwood trees. It was described as torching, flanking with short-range spotting ahead of the fire front.
More firefighters are on order to join the effort including a Type 2 Initial Attack Crew and a Type 2 Crew. The goal is to fully suppress the fire.
Contact BLM AFS public affairs specialist Beth Ipsen at (907)388-2159 or eipsen@blm.gov
Categories: Active Wildland Fire, AK Fire Info, BLM Alaska Fire Service
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 