Final update at 7 p.m.
Using an aggressive ground and air attack, firefighters were able to quickly quell a small fire burning about 13 miles southwest of Chalkyitsik and about 32 miles east of Fort Yukon Sunday.
The Grass River Fire (#321) was reported about noon Sunday by a BLM AFS personnel aboard a plane doing a detection flight in the area. A helicopter quickly responded from Fort Yukon and, using a bucket suspended below the helicopter to scoop water out of a nearby lake, dumped 22 large buckets for a total of 4,620 gallons of water on the flames. Meanwhile, two water-scooping Fire Boss airplanes responded from Fort Yukon to help suppress the fire burning in black spruce. They each dropped 15 loads for a total of 20,000 gallons of water. The fixed- and rotor-wing water drops were very effective in overwhelming the fire.
Eight smokejumpers that finished up a few days of work on the Deadwood Fire near Central today were equipped with gear to enable them to respond directly to this new fire instead of returning to Fairbanks. After parachuting near the fire, they quickly got to work and a cut saw line around the fire within hours to help keep it from growing larger than 1.8 acres. They will stay on scene to extinguish all of the hot spots and make sure the fire is completely out – which should take a few days.
The lightning-caused fire was not immediately threatening any known sites of value, but was burning in a modified option area that allows for initial response early in the season when there is a chance that sites may eventually be affected.
Original information at 2:07 p.m.
Smokejumpers and BLM Alaska Fire Service aircraft are responding to a new fire burning about 13 miles southwest of Chalkyitsik and about 32 miles east of Fort Yukon.
The Grass River Fire (#321) was reported at about noon Sunday. A helicopter quickly responded from Fort Yukon and was dropping buckets of water on the fire to keep it small while other help was ordered. Eight smokejumpers that finished up a few days work on the Deadwood Fire near Central today were equipped with gear to enable them to respond directly to this new fire.
Meanwhile, two water-scooping Fire Boss airplanes responded from Fort Yukon to help suppress the fire burning in black spruce. The fire is not immediately threatening any known sites of value, but was burning in a modified option area that allows for initial response early in the season when there is a chance that sites may eventually be affected.
The fire was initially reported as 1.5 acres with 40% of it’s perimeter active.
This information will be updated later today.
Edited to correct the day the fire was reported.
Categories: Active Wildland Fire, BLM Alaska Fire Service
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 