Smokejumpers, aided by aircraft, were able to corral the Deadwood Fire (#315) burning near Central late Friday night. Firefighters will spend Saturday tracking down any spot fires that sprung up outside the main fire’s perimeter and making sure the sawed control line around the main fire holds. The BLM Alaska Fire Service Midnight Sun Hotshots will join the 16 smokejumpers on the ground today to help work toward the goal of making sure the 33-acre fire is completely extinguished.
The countless water drops by six Fire Boss airplanes who were scooping from nearby Medicine Lake were instrumental in keeping the fire in check Friday night. An Alaska Division of Forestry air tanker dropped three loads of fire retardant at the edge of the fire to slow it down.
Fire activity significantly moderated Saturday morning due to good overnight humidity recovery and morning cloud cover. Smokejumpers on scene reported the fire area experienced heavy rain for about an hour in the early morning hours. The forecast is for cooler temperatures with southwest winds around 12 mph. The area is predicted to continue to receive cooler weather in the next couple of days to help firefighters with their efforts.
Smoke rises up from the Deadwood Fire (#315) burning south of Central about an hour after it was reported at 4 p.m. July 2, 2021. 
A smokejumper airplane circles the Deadwood Fire burning south of Central at about 5 p.m. on July 2, 2021. 
Smoke rises up from the Deadwood Fire burning south of Central at about 5 p.m. on July 2, 2021. The Circle Hot Springs Road is to the right of the fire. The fire was reported at about 4 p.m.
This series of photos shows the fire’s activity about an hour after it was reported.
The fire was reported by a resident at 4 p.m. Friday and quickly drew a response due to its close proximity to Central. The fire was originally torching in black spruce on both sides of the Circle Hot Springs Road about 2 1/2 miles from the intersection with the Steese Highway in Central. No structures were lost in the fire.
A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) was issued for the airspace to provide a safe environment for firefighting aircraft. Firefighters will seek help from agency aircraft again today – either an airplane or drone – to provide eyes in the sky while seeking out hot spots and spot fires to extinguish.
The human-caused fire is under investigation.
For more information, contact BLM AFS Public Affairs Specialist Beth Ipsen at (907)356-5510 or eipsen@blm.gov.
| Start date: July 2 | Acres: 33 | Personnel assigned: 36 | Crews: 1 | Cause: Human |
Categories: Active Wildland Fire, AK Fire Info, BLM Alaska Fire Service
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 