FAIRBANKS, Alaska – After fire activity moderated in Alaska but is intensifying in the Lower 48, fire managers are deciding which resources to retain in state for an expected return of warm, dry weather while planning to support the western U.S.
The state is still experiencing new starts as it re-enters a period of warming and drying this weekend. Of the three new fires reported by 2 p.m. on Friday, two in remote locations of BLM Alaska Fire Service (BLM AFS) protection area turned out to be false alarms. The third, an escaped campfire north of Red Fox Drive north of Tok, was quickly extinguished by Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection (DOF) firefighters.
With only five fires still staffed in Alaska as of Friday, firefighters are focusing on removing equipment, extinguishing remaining hot spots, and rehabilitating lands disturbed during suppression efforts. Adequate resources remain available to address new wildfires in the state, with the priority being the protection of people in Alaska as fire managers wait to see if the warmer, drier weather results in new wildfires. Interior Alaska temperatures may reach the 80s, with the Yukon Flats expecting up to 90 degrees on Sunday. However, this drying trend could be short-lived, with cooler, wetter weather predicted for mid-week.
Given the unfolding wildfire situation in the western U.S. and the state’s reliance on Lower 48 resources during busy fire seasons, Alaska is committed to providing support once the wildfire threat here diminishes. This commitment is part of a national mutual aid response plan. This year, 16 hotshot and Type 2 Initial Attack crews from the Lower 48 assisted Alaska as the fire season ramped up here and then quickly moderated due to significant rains.
On Thursday, the National Interagency Coordination Center raised the National Preparedness Level to PL5, the highest on a 1-5 scale indicating wildfire activity and resource needs nationwide. Alaska remains at Preparedness Level 2, with 341 reported fires burning just over 601,000 acres this year as of Friday.
The DOF Pioneer Peak Hotshots recently mobilized for wildfires in Alberta, Canada. DOF’s Gannet Glacier and White Mountain Type 2 Initial Attack crews will head to Oregon early this week. The BLM AFS Midnight Sun Hotshots are going south on Saturday to pick up their crew vehicles and equipment stored in Boise for Lower 48 assignments.
At least 20 smokejumpers will remain available for wildfires response in Alaska through the weekend, with 20 others already in western states.
The Alaska Interagency Coordination Center received a request Friday for three of the nine available BLM Type 2 Contract Crews in Alaska. These crews are predominately made up of Indigenous firefighters from rural communities in BLM AFS protection area. Decisions on which crews to mobilize are still being made.
Meanwhile, work continues for the few crews and firefighters still assigned to fires in Alaska. Here’s a break-down of the work being performed on these fires:
Riley Fire (#318) – Estimated to have burned 436 acres since it started just north of the Denali National Park and Preserve entrance on June 30. A Temporary Flight Restriction is in place to ensure safe airspace while firefighters conduct extensive drone operations while looking for hotspots within the fire perimeter. Using an infrared camera, the drone continues to detect sources of heat within the fire’s perimeter. On Wednesday, firefighters extinguished hotspots identified by the drone and are monitoring others deeper inside the burned area. There are five firefighting personnel assigned to aggressively monitor the fire and to direct suppression action to extinguish additional hotspots if needed.
Main Fire (#240) – Estimated at more than 24,000 acres, this fire is burning about 7 miles southwest of Ruby and within about 4 miles of the closest structures. The BLM AFS North Star Crew, classified as a Type 2 crew but trains to interagency hotshot crew standards, finished constructing a fuel break around one Native allotment and is working on doing the same for another allotment. The focus for fire managers and the people assigned is protecting structures, property and Ruby from the large fire.
McDonald Fire (#119) – The BLM AFS Chena Hotshot crew and a handful of other firefighters are removing structure protection equipment where no longer needed and securing the fire’s edge near structures by mopping up hotspots. The lightning-caused McDonald fire started on June 8 but merged with the Meridian and Clear fires also burning on the Tanana Flats Training Area south of Fairbanks. Firefighters will be posted at vantage points on the east side of the Tanana River this weekend to monitor fire activity. The fires are estimated at just more than 175,680 acres.
Grapefruit Complex – A handful of firefighters and heavy equipment are working to repair dozer lines built around two Native allotments that were threatened by the Globe Fire weeks ago. The firefighters will also monitor the six fires within this complex this weekend in case fire activity picks back up. The complex burned on both sides of the Elliott Highway south of Livengood and is estimated at just under 90,000 acres.
Gold King Creek Fire (#276) – A handful of firefighters conducting drone operations to find hotspots within this roughly 6,000-fire about 46 miles south of Fairbanks. It is the only remaining staffed fire within the DOF Protection area.
-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, AK Fire Info, Alaska DNR - Division of Forestry (DOF), BLM Alaska Fire Service
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 