Grapefruit Complex Daily Update: Sunday, July 7, 2024
Alaska Incident Management Team 3
Incident Commander- Peter Butteri
Location: 40 Miles north of Fairbanks
Complex Acres: 87,434
Personnel: 314
Containment: 0%
Completed Structure Preparation: 50%
An additional 0.1″ to 0.5″ of rain fell over the fire, the rain has penetrated the ground in the fire area since July 4th and has halted any fire spread. Fire officials continue working with the local units to effectively prepare and map structures at risk and critical resources for current and future defense. Protecting structures is the primary focus and objective of firefighters assigned to the Grapefruit Complex, with half of the structure preparation complete. Evacuations were adjusted due to the change in fire behavior and weather. The forecast calls for light rain throughout the day with the fire likely receiving another wetting rain. Low clouds and low visibility are expected, especially over summits. Relative humidity will be high, 75 to 100% once again. Winds will be out of the southwest again with gusts to around 20 mph.
The Grapefruit Complex includes the Globe Fire (#253), Iver Fire (#249), Eagle Fire (#306), Wilber Fire (#308), Noodor Fire (#192), and Fossil Fire (#115). Crews continue to limit the fire’s impact on the Elliott Highway, Trans-Alaska Pipeline, Native allotments, and public and private structures, as well as reducing impacts to fish habitat along the Tatalina and Tolovana river corridors.
Evacuations: Evacuation levels were reduced on Friday (July 5). The current levels are represented as:
Ready (Green): Elliot Hwy MM 18-65 / Set (Yellow): None currently. / Go (red): None currently.
Smoke: Rain has significantly improved air quality with minimal smoke along the roadways. However, it is advised to still turn on your headlights to help ensure the safety of firefighters and flaggers working in the area.
Road access: The Elliott Highway is open. Expect delays between mileposts 25-65 as firefighters work to remove equipment out of the Wickersham Dome trailhead area. Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities contracted workers and a pilot car are helping keep the flow of traffic open in construction areas along the Elliott Highway. Check https://511.alaska.gov/ for road additional updates.
Temporary Flight Restriction: No TFRs are in place over the fire area.
Closures: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Eastern Interior Field Office closed the western portion of the White Mountains National Recreation Area surrounding the Wickersham Dome Trailhead at mile 28 Elliott Highway. The closure is in effect until Sept. 1, unless the BLM determines the area is safe for public use at an earlier time.
-BLM-
Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Fire Service, P.O. Box 35005, 1541 Gaffney Road, Fort Wainwright, AK 99703
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The Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service (AFS) located at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, provides wildland fire suppression services for over 240 million acres of Department of the Interior and Native Corporation Lands in Alaska. In addition, AFS has other statewide responsibilities that include: interpretation of fire management policy; oversight of the BLM Alaska Aviation program; fuels management projects; and operating and maintaining advanced communication and computer systems such as the Alaska Lightning Detection System. AFS also maintains a National Incident Support Cache with a $18.1 million inventory. The Alaska Fire Service provides wildland fire suppression services for America’s “Last Frontier” on an interagency basis with the State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources, USDA Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Military in Alaska.
Categories: Active Wildland Fire, Air Quality, AK Fire Info, Alaska DNR - Division of Forestry (DOF), BLM Alaska Fire Service
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 