On Thursday, the Fire Behavior Analyst, Incident Meteorologist, and operational personnel took a helicopter flight over much of the fire area to assess fire behavior and weather conditions. Fire activity was witnessed as smoldering and minimal. Subsurface hotspots remained scattered and are expected to continue to smolder until larger amounts of rain extinguish the fires. When the fires of the Bean Complex were active and threatened private structures, fire crews hauled in and set up structure protection equipment in numerous locations. This equipment often includes pumps, hose, and sprinklers. The work has now shifted to dismantling all the pumps, hose, and sprinkler systems which can take time in remote locations. It is expected to take two to three more days of work to get everything hauled out to Manley Hot Springs for transport to the fire cache in Fairbanks.
Mostly sunny weather conditions dominated the area on Thursday, allowing for continued helicopter hauling work. No measurable amounts of rain were recorded over the fire area over the past 24 hours and fire activity remained minimal. Warm and dry conditions are forecasted for the area this weekend, with a chance of isolated rain showers on Sunday. This short drying trend is not anticipated to facilitate active fire growth since there is a chance for rain on Monday night and into Tuesday.
The seven fires total 197,142 acres with 166 people assigned. The slight increase in size is due to improved mapping on the larger fires. Firefighters are camped remotely near the larger fires as they work on hauling out suppression equipment and supplies.
The Tanana River Fire (#310), is 14 miles southeast of Manley Hot Springs and north of the Tanana River. Firefighters are disassembling fire protection equipment and preparing it to be removed from the Deadman’s Lake area. The fire is 25,170 acres in size.
The Bitzshitini Fire (#312), is 23 miles southwest of Manley Hot Springs and south of the Tanana River. It is unstaffed and in monitor status. The fire is 71,219 acres in size.
The Chitinana Fire (#315), south of the Tanana River about 21 miles southeast of Tanana and 20 miles southwest of Manley Hot Springs, is 100,233 acres in size. Crews are working to remove water pump site equipment from three different locations on the fire.
The Hutlinana Fire (#327), is located north of the Tanana River roughly 10 miles east of Manley Hot Springs and is 407 acres. It is unstaffed and in monitor status.
The Rock Fire (#557), is located 6 miles north of Eureka and is 1 acre. It is unstaffed and in monitor status.
The Elephant Fire (#561), is located 6 miles northeast of Eureka and is 110 acres. It is unstaffed and in monitor status.
The Cosna Bluff Fire (#564), is located 19 miles southwest of Manley Hot Springs and is 2 acres. It is unstaffed and in monitor status.
For more information, contact Bean Complex Information at email: 2022.bean@firenet.gov; or 907-921-2454
Categories: AK Fire Info
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 