The Nelchina Glacier Fire (#226) became very active on Wednesday afternoon as temperatures rose and winds from passing thunderstorms increased over the fire area. The increase in fire behavior could be seen along the Glenn Highway near mile marker 128 near the Eureka Roadhouse as the smoke column was visible drifting to the west during the afternoon hours. Even though the fire activity increased on the incident, the majority of the fire’s growth was internal and much of the fire blew back in to itself minimizing the overall growth of the fire. With aviation support, crews continued to keep the fire in check and out of the Eureka Creek Drainage, preventing it from impacting residents south of the Glenn Highway.
Dozers continue to make steady progress in constructing a fuel break north of Eureka Creek, south of the homes along the Glenn Highway. This dozer line will be used as a contingency line if the fire activity increases and moves north across Eureka Creek. Yesterday, the two dozers assigned to the incident safely completed 1 mile of dozer line for a total distance of 2 ¾ miles as they worked towards the east. Pumps and hoses have been installed on the completed mastication lines and will continue to be inspected frequently to make sure they meet suppression needs and standards.
Aviation will continue to be visible along the Glenn Highway as helicopters are using the landing area in the south end of Gunsight Lodge parking lot for cargo operations. Slings load, carried externally from the bottom of the helicopter, will be assembled, packed and weighed from the cargo zone and will be flown to the fire line to support the 76 firefighters currently constructing fire line on the west side of the fire. Firefighters continue to make progress on containment efforts and have begun to construct a safe anchor in where they can begin the construction of direct fire line on the western perimeter with a 5’ safety buffer in the burned area along the perimeter.
As the Fourth of July holiday weekend approaches and traffic increases, the public is reminded to slow down near the fire area. Fire vehicles will be visible working near the Gunsight Lodge and may be found staging in pullouts along the highway to provide a safety lookout for firefighters. Helicopters will also be visible to the public as they cross over the highway to deliver cargo and water drops to firefighters on the fire line. With more visible law enforcement near the fire area this weekend, the public is reminded to slow down and drive with caution as they enjoy the Fourth of July holiday.
Categories: Active Wildland Fire, AK Fire Info, Alaska DNR - Division of Forestry (DOF)
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 