Firefighters, aided by water bombing aircraft, are aggressively fighting an 83-acre fire burning about 10 miles east of Stevens Village. Eight smokejumpers, the BLM Alaska Fire Service Chena Hotshots and a variety of helicopter and airplanes are working to keep the lightning-caused Alfred Fire (#215) from a Native allotment within three miles. The fire is burning in predominately black spruce and a mixture of hardwoods. It was spotting – throwing out burning debris ahead of the fire – in places, making the suppression efforts challenging. The fire is burning on the in the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge.
The Rogue River Hotshots from the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest in Oregon are headed to join the suppression today. The Rogue River is one of three hotshot crews brought up from the Lower 48 to help on fires as hot, dry weather is predicted to continue in Interior and Northeast Alaska. Most of the Alaskan crews available in state are assigned to the Isom Creek Fire burning about 20 miles west of this fire. Other Alaskan crews are being prepositioned in other parts of the state in case there are other new starts that need a response.
For more information, call the Alaska Interagency Fire Information Office at 907-356-5511.
Categories: AK Fire Info
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 