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BLM AFS assesses response as lightning continues to spark new fires across Alaska

By BLM Alaska Fire Service on July 28, 2023

Isolated thunderstorms continue to cause mischief in Alaska, leaving lightning littered throughout much of the state and sparking more fires.

With resources stretched thin and concentrated in areas that are closer to communities, BLM Alaska Fire Service is prioritizing response in the more remote parts of its protection area covering the northern half of the state. This may result in a delay in response to some fires until more smokejumpers and crews become available.

Twelve smokejumpers and helicopters were deployed to contain a 5-acre fire near Livengood Thursday night. With more fires reported this morning, fire managers are assessing what action to take as additional smokejumpers demobilize from other fires in Alaska or trickle in from the Lower 48. Twelve arrived Thursday and were dispatched to two fires hours later.

Map of Alaska with many black arrows signifying locations where lightning strikes were recorded Thursday. — This map shows the number of lightning strikes across the state as of 7 p.m. on July 27, 2023. There were 7,000 strikes recorded throughout the state that day.

More than 7,000 lightning strikes were recorded across Alaska Thursday, with 22 new fires reported. Of those, 10 were in the BLM AFS’s Tanana and Upper Yukon Fire Management Zones.

Another round of lightning is forecast late in the afternoon today, and state and federal fire managers are expecting more new fires. Some fires, called holdovers or sleepers, don’t reveal themselves for days after lightning strikes. These fires can smolder below the surface for several days until temperatures warm, vegetation dries, and a wind breathes life into the smoldering hot spot.

While precipitation has fallen in some parts of the state, others, notably the central and eastern Interior, remain dry with high fire danger. There may be a bit of a respite this weekend with cooler temperatures and some rain in the western half of the state, but the hot weather will return next week.

BLM AFS is conducting several flights today to verify fires that were recently reported and existing unstaffed fires and check areas that experienced lightning that may have sparked holdover fires.

This includes two new fires in the Yukon Flats that were reported early Friday morning. BLM AFS personnel are flying to take a look at the Lower Birch Fire (#291) and the Kocacho Fire (#292), both burning in the Yukon Flats. The Kocacho Fire is 12 miles southwest of Venetie and the Lower Birch Fire is 13 miles east of Beaver.

Fires of note

Aerial view of smoke driving up from a fire with a pink sky in the background. — The Brooks Fire (#284) was reported Thursday night burning about 10 miles southwest of Livengood and about 3 miles south of the Elliott Highway after it turns toward Manley Hot Springs. Photo by Bradley Jackle, BLM AFS smokejumper

Brooks Fire (#284) – The fire was reported by a nearby resident Thursday night. It was creeping, smoldering in tundra and hardwoods, but torching when it reached black spruce trees. This 5-acre fire is 10 miles southwest of Livengood and 3 miles south of the Elliott Highway after it turns toward Manley Hot Springs. Smokejumpers were able to corral the fire. The North Star Fire Crew will move from another fire and relieve smokejumpers. They goal is to have it contained and controlled within the next few days.

Moose Fire (#200) – The Type 2 Mooseheart Crew and two additional BLM AFS firefighters continue to search out and extinguish hotspot deeper into the interior of the 11.5-acre fire with the hopes of having the entire fire out by Sunday. This fire started on Monday and is burning next to the Elliott Highway at mile 100.

Susie Fire (#256) – Seven smokejumpers secured the edge of this fire and are now working toward deepening the buffer inside the fire’s perimeter. This 3-acre fire is burning about 5.5 miles north of Rampart on the opposite side of the Yukon River.

Loper Creek Fire (#274) and Inter Loper Fire (#283) – Two smokejumpers deployed Thursday to the 25-acre Loper Creek Fire burning on the backside of the Pinnell Mountain and discovered another small fire burning nearby. The two smokejumpers anticipate having these two fires contained and controlled today. They plan to demobilize to go back into the rotation of smokejumpers available to respond to new fires.

Klaluthyiit Bluff (#219) – This fire is burning on Alaska Native lands and BLM lands about 14 miles southwest of Allakaket on the east side of the Kanuti River. This fire is estimated at about 200 acres and close to four Native allotments with two cabins within a half a mile of the fire. The fire exhibited almost no activity. The BLM AFS North Star crew is up protection measures on the allotments and will move to another fire 10 miles southwest of Livengood.

For more information, contact BLM AFS Public Affairs Specialist Beth Ipsen at eipsen@blm.gov or 907-356-5510.

Video was shot of the Brooks Fire on July 27, 2023 by Assistant Spotter BLM AFS Smokejumper Bradley Jackle. You can find this video and others on the BLM AFS Flickr site.