Start Date: 06/14/2021 Location: 18 miles N of Fairbanks, AK
Cause: Lightning Fire Size: 924 acres
Containment: 66% Total Personnel: 259
(Fairbanks, AK)- Fire crews, along with aviation and heavy equipment resources have put in a substantial amount of work along the perimeter of the Haystack Fire (#196) which has been reflected by an increase of containment to 66%.
Hotshot crews assigned will be focused more on the southern part of the fire’s edge moving towards their goal of full containment. They will start on both the east and west edges and work towards the middle to tie in and complete their mop up. This work is conducted in steep terrain, mixed with areas with a thick duff layer. To ensure that they are thorough with checking and securing their work areas, firefighters will set a pace that will likely take several days to cover that much ground.
The hot, dry, and windy weather pattern will continue for the next couple days. These warm sunny days, as well as forecasted wind events will dry out the fine fuels in the area. This weather will test the work that has been done to secure containment lines. Fire managers are optimistic that the work will withstand this upcoming weather trend. Lightning and thunderstorms are also expected throughout the week. The combination of drier fuels, wind and lightning will increase fire danger locally.
The State of Alaska is at Preparedness Level 3 (PL 3) and Nationally the Preparedness Level is at 4(PL 4). The five Preparedness Levels range from the lowest (PL1) to the highest (PL5). Each Preparedness Level includes specific management actions and involves increasing levels of interagency resource commitments. As Preparedness Levels rise, so does the need for Incident Management Teams (IMTs) and suppression resources, which include wildland fire crews, engines, helicopters, air tankers and other aircraft, along with specialized heavy equipment. Alaska has benefited from Lower 48 resources, including crews and fire managers to assist with suppression efforts. Due to the rise of the national preparedness level, these resources will be less available to assist with Alaska’s fire season.
The Moose Creek Cabin in the White Mountains National Recreation Area is closed due to proximity to the fire. The Bureau of Land Management will continue to monitor the fire status and resume reservations when firefighting efforts in the area are reduced.
Fairbanks North Star Borough Emergency Operations encourages residents to sign up for wildland fire information alerts issued by the borough by texting “FNSB2021Wildfire” to 226787.
A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place over the fire and some of the surrounding area to provide a safe operating environment for firefighting aircraft. Go to https://tfr.faa.gov for more information.
Public Information: (907) 931- 8113 Email: 2021.Haystack@firenet.gov
www.akfireinfo.com ♦inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7548 ♦ http://www.facebook.com/AK.Forestry
Categories: AK Fire Info
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 