Home › Active Wildland Fire › Fire behavior increases, Crews and Aircraft keep fires in check

Fire behavior increases, Crews and Aircraft keep fires in check

By Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection on August 14, 2023

WILDFIRE UPDATE – Delta Area – Pogo Mine Road Fire (#191) & Mount Hayes Fire (#299) Monday – August 14, 2023

Community Meeting Tuesday, Aug 15 @ 6:00 pm at the the Big Delta Brewing Company

Partly sunny skies and dry weather in the Delta Junction area led to an increase in fire behavior. Plumes of smoke are visible from the Richardson Highway. Active surface fire spread with single tree torching was observed on the Delta (#221) and Ponds (#302) fires burning on Department of Defense lands south of the Tanana River and west of Delta Junction.

Pogo Mine Road Fire (#191) – 47,179 acres | 76 personnel | 12 miles NW of Delta

Helicopters dropped water on areas of heat along the southwest fire perimeter and near structures. A dozer line has been completed directly along the west flank from Pogo Mine Road to the north near the pipeline corridor. Plans are being developed to utilize equipment to remove burned trees along the Pogo Mine Road, which has been blocked periodically from trees falling on the road, a major safety concern. Arroyo Grande Hotshots are setting up camp along Shaw Creek to be in place for structure protection and building containment lines directly along the fire’s edge. Tongass Suppression module is also working on structure protection and direct line construction.

Delta area fires including Pogo Mine Road (#191) and Mount Hayes (#299) as of August 13.

Pogo Mine Road (#191) and Mount Hayes (#299) as of August 13.

Mount Hayes Fire (#299) – 7,085 acres | 91 personnel | 7 miles SE of Deltana

When conditions allow, fire managers will conduct a firing operation to burnout the fuels between control lines to the north and the main fire. Fire activity has been moderated, where fire growth has been minimal in this area. Fire managers routinely monitor this fire by helicopter and airplane. A structure plan is in place for Sierra Hotshots to protect three public-use cabins (Donna, Little Donna, and Lisa lakes) east of the Gerstle River. Control lines from Bison Fields to the Gerstle River are completed and plumbed with a hoselay.

Weather: High Pressure building in tonight into tomorrow will result in light and variable winds late tonight into Tuesday. Temperatures will reach the low 70s, while relative humidity will drop to around 40 percent. Showers and an isolated thunderstorms will develop in the afternoon Monday and Tuesday mostly in the White Mountains north of the fire.