(FAIRBANKS, Alaska) – BLM Alaska Fire Service firefighters responded to four fires, three of which were ignited Wednesday by the first big lightning event to move through Alaska this season.
BLM AFS smokejumpers were deployed to three fires in a remote part of Alaska Wednesday – two in Western Alaska and another north of Bettles – while two firefighters and a helicopter suppressed a small fire burning in the Tanana Flats Training Area just south of Fairbanks Thursday morning. None of these fires were immediately threatening any communities or sites of value.
Approximately 1,800 lightning strikes were recorded across the middle of the state Wednesday, with a few igniting fires and many accompanied by rain. More lightning and thunderstorms are predicted in Interior Alaska in the upcoming days, mainly north and west of Fairbanks. Conditions will remain relatively cooler and wet, which will help keep fire activity subdued as the state enters the part of fire season that typically sees more thunderstorms and lightning-caused wildfires.
The lightning-caused Bonnifield Fire (#105) was burning in a limited management option area on military training lands south of Fairbanks. This typically means it’s managed for the benefit of the natural habitat. However, in coordination with the U.S. Army, BLM AFS decided to suppress the fire instead of risking it burning for a long duration and potentially producing smoke that could impact nearby communities later this summer.
The Bonnifield Fire (#105) burned about a half an acre on the Tanana Flats Training Area south of Fairbanks. Photo by BLM AFS firefighter Tim Hatfield who was one of the two firefighters who extinguished the fire Thursday, June 8, 2023. 
The Bonnifield Fire (#105) burned about a half an acre on the Tanana Flats Training Area south of Fairbanks. Photo by BLM AFS firefighter Tim Hatfield who was one of the two firefighters who extinguished the fire Thursday, June 8, 2023.
Two BLM AFS firefighters and a helicopter responded Thursday morning and quickly put the fire out. The helicopter used a large bucket suspended underneath to drop water and help the firefighters on the ground. The fire was less than a half an acre. It’s burning in tundra south of the Tanana River, which runs south of Fairbanks and west of North Pole.
Meanwhile, four smokejumpers deployed to the Stuart Fire (#100) burning on the south side of Stuart Island about 7 miles northwest of Stebbins in Western Alaska. The cause of this fire has yet to be determined. The fire was reported by people in Stebbins who noticed the smoke. Some responded from Stebbins and were already working to put the fire out when smokejumpers arrived.
The smokejumpers were able to contain the fire by 9 p.m. Wednesday. They extinguished all the remaining hot spots of this almost 1-acre fire burning in tundra and driftwood and were in the process of demobilizing Thursday afternoon.
The eight other smokejumpers aboard the same airplane deployed from Fairbanks for the Stuart Fire ended up on a fire in the Northwest Arctic 7 miles south of Noorvik. The lightning-caused Selawik Lake Fire (#103) was reported by a local resident who spotted the smoke column.
This wind-driven fire is burning in dry, dead tundra grass in pre-green up conditions. The smokejumpers were able to get around the fire Wednesday night and are now working to contain the approximately 114-acre fire. Because it is burning tundra grass and brush and not deeper ground layers, smokejumpers are making good progress in extinguishing the remaining hot spots. Fire managers estimate they should have the fire fully extinguished within the next couple of days.
Another 12 smokejumpers are working on an approximately 200-acre fire burning in a mixture of tundra and spruce trees about 12 miles northwest of Bettles. The John Fire (#101) was discovered Wednesday night by BLM AFS fire managers checking a remote sensing system used to detect heat created by wildfires. Someone called from Bettles to report seeing smoke from the fire soon after.
Smokejumpers are making good progress on suppressing the wind-driven, lightning-caused fire burning just east of the John River. Two water-scooping Fire Boss airplanes aided the smokejumpers on the ground while a firefighter aboard another aircraft helped coordinate the suppression efforts.
Contact BLM AFS Public Affairs Specialist Beth Ipsen at (907)356-5510 or eipsen@blm.gov for more information.
This story was edited to correct the number of fires that were reported on Wednesday.
Categories: Active Wildland Fire, AK Fire Info
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 