Cooler, damper weather kept a cap on wildfires Sunday, giving firefighters on BLM Alaska Fire Service fires a chance to strengthen control lines and fire managers to move resources around to prepare for the predicted return of hot weather.
There were six new fires statewide, a decrease from days prior. There are still 126 active fires across Alaska. Due to Alaska’s vast, remote wilderness, and with resources on higher priority fires that are burning close to communities, many remain unstaffed as long as they’re not threatening any nearby sites of value.
Of the 51 active fires within the BLM AFS protection area that covers the northern half of the state, only six are staffed.
Firefighters are mopping up three fires burning in the Interior. The BLM Type 2 contract Mooseheart Crew is mopping up the 5-acre Vigor Fire (#298) burning near the Tolovana Hot Springs and the BLM AFS North Star Crew is mopping up the 5-acre Brooks Fire (#284) burning near Livengood. Three BLM AFS fire specialists are scheduled to replace four smokejumpers on the Susie Fire (#256) burning north of Rampart to continue mop up of this 3-acre fire.
Freeing up smokejumpers who parachute out of airplanes near a fire is a priority because these experienced firefighters are able to quickly respond to new starts in remote parts of Alaska.
With the return of the warm weather this week, holdover fires are a concern as fuels continue to dry out in many parts of the Interior, as is continued growth of existing fires.
While lightning strikes often ignite wildfires the moment they hit the ground, that is not always the case. Some fires, called holdovers, don’t reveal themselves for days after lightning strikes. Holdover fires can smolder below the surface for several days until temperatures warm, vegetation dries, and wind breathes life into the smoldering hot spot.
Four smokejumpers were deployed to the Lower Birch Fire (#291) burning about 13 miles east of Beaver Saturday night. It was estimated at 100 acres and was slowed down when it hit a stand of hardwood trees. Smokejumpers are working on securing hot spots on the fire’s edge and were planning to set up a pump and hose system for Cascade Wildland Fire Module out of Boise National Forest. This 7-10 firefighter module will mobilize to the fire Monday.
A 10-person all-women’s Student Conservation Association crew out of the Alaska National Parks mobilized today to protect historic mining camp from the Ikheenjik Fire (#234). This 95-acre fire is burning on BLM-managed lands about 2 miles south of mile 94 Steese Highway east of the Ikheenjik River, formerly known as the Birch Creek Wild and Scenic River.
Winds twice prevented smokejumpers from getting to the 300-acre Crooked Fire (#262) burning 15 miles north of Chena Hot Springs. They were finally able to deploy Saturday night to protect cabins in the area. The fire was reported as creeping and backing with isolated group torching with fire growth mostly to the southwest, which is away from the cabins.
Meanwhile, other BLM AFS personnel are conducting several flights every day to check on existing unstaffed fires and survey areas that experienced lightning that may have sparked holdover fires.
BLM AFS Military Zone personnel continue to conduct afternoon flights over lightning-caused fires in on military training ranges.
The Delta Fire (#221) is estimated at 5,000 acres. It’s been burning in a very remote part of the training range west of the Delta Creek not accessible by ground. It’s 15 miles southwest of Whitestone. The wide, braided Delta Creek is keeping it confined on the eastern edge while the western edge continues to burn.
The Ponds Fire (#302) was discovered Saturday and is estimated at about 1,000 acres. It’s within the area burned in the 2019 Oregon Lakes Fire within the Oklahoma Impact Area where the threat of unexploded ordinances makes the area too dangerous to put people on the ground. It’s also surrounded by ponds. The fire is about 7.5 miles west of mile 258 Richardson Highway.
BLM AFS Military Zone personnel are also monitoring the 25-acre Tractor Fire (#258) burning in black spruce, tundra and hardwoods on the Yukon Training Area about 2.5 miles north of the Salcha River. It’s about 2.5 miles from the nearest cabin on the Salcha River. Weather moderated fire behavior when BLM AFS personnel flew over the fire this afternoon.
Contact BLM AFS Public Affairs Specialist Beth Ipsen at (907)356-5510 or eipsen@blm.gov for more information.
Categories: AK Fire Info
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 