Take a spin around the #MunsonCreekFire courtesy of this video shot during a reconnaissance flight yesterday, Thursday, July 8. You can see from the video that the fire burned at varying degrees of intensity, leaving a mosaic pattern of burned and unburned areas similar to how many Alaska wildfires typically burn. These kinds of wildfires help maintain a diverse and healthy landscape by allowing fire to function in its natural ecological role that is crucial for the boreal forest, a fire-dependent ecosystem.

The Munson Creek Fire started in a Limited protection area, the lowest priority for suppression response, and the Division of Forestry has been managing the fire to protect any values that may be threatened, such as Chena Hot Springs Resorts, the dozens of cabins and homes along the end of Chena Hot Springs Road and a handful of cabins and mines on the Middle Fork Chena River while also allowing the fire to reduce fuel loading that will help reduce the chance of larger fires in the future.

In the video, you can also see how close the fire came to Chena Hot Springs Resort and the burned area surrounding a shelter cabin on the Angel Rocks to Chena Hot Springs that remains standing, as well as some mining camps on the Middle Fork Chena River that firefighters have been working to protect should the fire reach them. The fire has been most active on the south and east sides along the Middle Fork Chena River the last couple of days and that will likely continue with warmer, drier weather expected.

Categories: AK Fire Info