Start Date: 06/14/2021                                 Location: 18 miles N of Fairbanks, AK

Cause: Lightning                                           Fire Size: 924 acres

Containment: 77%                                        Total Personnel: 247

(Fairbanks, AK)-In addition to mop up on the active fire perimeter, crews are gridding through unburned areas. Gridding is a process of methodically checking areas to ensure that there are no hot spots or hold over fires. The hot, dry, and windy conditions warranted Red Flag warnings throughout the Interior yesterday. These conditions dry the forest fuels and provide air to hidden heat sources, giving smoldering fires the ability to gain traction. The weather tested the firelines that have been mopped up and they have successfully held. Weather conditions will remain favorable for flare ups or new starts.

Structure protection operations around the Haystack community are complete. Firefighters developed a contingency plan to protect nearby structures, in addition to discussions with property owners about vegetation clearing and Firewise practices. These firefighters are now available for assisting elsewhere on the incident or responding to local initial attack activities. Initial attack is defined as an aggressive action to put the fire out by the first resources to arrive, consistent with safety for firefighters and the public, as well as values to be protected. Current weather conditions require resources to be ready to respond at any time of the day to help the local Division of Forestry with new aggressive fire starts.

The fire season in Alaska is underway and is relying on the local resources that are currently available. A big incident like the Haystack Fire pulls resources to focus on a priority incident. Lower 48 resources are being used alongside Alaska’s local crews. Due to the increase of fire activity nationwide, available resources will dwindle as other fires also become priorities. Fire managers expect another year with unprecedented fire conditions, fire activity and the associated demands placed on the finite resources available. It is critical to manage scarce resources with an eye on not only the current fire, but the local area, and the national perspective. Fire managers need to prepare for a “marathon” rather than a “sprint.”

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

Tags: Haystack Fire