Rainy skies and reduced temperatures will begin to move across southern Alaska over the next few days, diminishing the risk of initial attack fires over the holiday weekend. On Wednesday, firefighters responded to 3 new initial attack fires across the region. The Prairie Fire (#348) the Kasilof Muskeg (#352) and the Osprey Fire (#355) were all caught at under 0.1 acre by quick responses from local fire crews.
Happy Fourth of July! The Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection would like to remind you to exercise extreme caution with any fire or fireworks in the coming days. There are several ongoing major incidents on the landscape and fire-fighting resources are stretched thin. In the current conditions, any sources of ignition can quickly become a large and destructive wildfire. As a reminder, fireworks are not allowed in the Kenai Borough and Mat-Su Boroughs. Thank you for helping keep yourself, your neighbors, and your local first responders safe this Fourth of July.
This is a report on fires occurring in Division of Alaska Forestry & Fire Protection coastal protection area, generally south of the Alaska Range. These include the DOF Prevention areas of Southwest, Anchorage Mat-Su, Kenai-Kodiak and the Copper River.
Prairie Fire (#348)– The Prairie Fire, 4 miles west of Soldotna, was reported late Wednesday afternoon. Crews from the Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection in mutual aid with Central Emergency Services-Kenai Peninsula Borough took quick action to contain the fire that had spread to the wildland. The fire was safely contained at 0.1 acre and posed no threats to the surrounding area.
Kasilof Muskeg Fire (#352)- The Kasilof Muskeg Fire was reported in the early evening hours on Wednesday. The fire was located 1 mile from the western edge of the Tustumena Lake Fire (#311). Resources assigned to the Tustumena Lake incident took immediate action on the fire based on their close proximity and quickly extinguished the fire at 0.1 acres. The fire was ignited by an unattended campfire that had spread to the wildland.
Osprey Fire (#355) – Located 3 miles east of Nikiski, the fire was reported in the early morning hours on Thursday. Crews arrived to find a shed that had caught on fire and the fire had spread to the wildland. With mutual aid from the Nikiski Fire Service-Kenai Peninsula Borough, the fire was quickly extinguished at 0.1 acres and after a thorough mop up, all resources returned back to their stations.
Tustumena Lake Fire (#311) – The 35 acre, Tustumena Lake Fire, 20 miles south of Soldotna, is 100% contained and has not grown in acreage over the past two days. The Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection’s Pioneer Peak Hotshots and other suppression personnel assigned will continue to mop up the fire perimeter using pumps and hose lays with support from water dropping helicopters where needed. The fire burned through heavy and downed timber within thick stands of black spruce during its initial fire run which has required extensive mop up and manpower to successfully complete. Crews will utilize helicopters to begin hauling fire suppression tools that are no longer being utilized on the fire to the Centennial Lake campground so they can be refurbished and sent to other fires across the region. Other assigned fire apparatus will be released as needs decrease on the fire over the next 24 hours. There are currently 34 personnel assigned to the incident.
The Slack Water boat launch on the Kasilof River and the Tustumena Campground are currently open and pose no impact to fire operations. The Centennial Lake campground remains closed as firefighters utilize it to stage supplies and equipment for fire suppression efforts.
Smoke and aviation resources will continue to be visible along the Tustumena Lake Road corridor as aviation resources support firefighters on the ground from the Centennial Lake campground area. The fire poses no threat to the residents of the Kenai Peninsula Borough at this time. For more information regarding the impact to the community please visit info.kpb.us This is the one-stop hub site for ready,set,go, know-your-zones and other response information.
American Creek Fire (#143) – 25 miles northeast of King Salmon, this lightning caused fire is burning in a limited response area and is estimated to be 4,650 acres. The fire continues to show minimal growth. Fire managers will continue to monitor the fire closely, allowing the fire to serve its natural roll on the landscape while taking advantage of geographic barriers and areas of reduced vegetation which will minimize fire behavior and the threat it poses to values in the area.
With cooler temperatures and higher humidity across southwest Alaska on Wednesday, the Type 3 organization known as the Red Devil Group continues to work on containing multiple fires within their response areas. Personnel assigned and acreages have been updated to reflect the most recent numbers over the past 24 hours. The majority of the fires in this group have been contain and transitioned to monitor status but will continue to be frequently check by aviation assets in the area. This will be the last report on the following fires unless significant activity occurs.
Cribby Creek Fire (#201) – 3 miles north of Red Devil, the fire is burning in a modified response area and is estimated to be 91 acres with 100% containment. 46 personnel are currently assigned to the fire. The Del Rosa and Laguna Hotshots continue to protect Native allotments along the Kuskokwim River across from Red Devil using hand lines and pumps with hose lays for additional water support. The Laguna Hotshots will be released from the fire today and will be reassigned to other fires in the region as the workload decreases and fire managers right size the firefighting organization.
Categories: Alaska DNR - Division of Forestry (DOF)
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 