The Elephant Fire (#225) is located approximately 3 miles north of Eureka and is 5,598 acres. Fire behavior was moderate yesterday with heavy rains on the southern portion of the fire Sunday evening. There is a continued forecast for wetting rains through the day today. A weather pattern change will start tonight, bringing unseasonably cool temperatures higher humidity levels that will help firefighting efforts. Yesterday, one additional crew of firefighters and 3 smokejumpers arrived to assist with the fire.
The northern part of the fire did not receive precipitation yesterday. Today, firefighters will move to that area along Eureka-Rampart Trail and assess structure protection needs. If they are able, they may implement defensive strategic firing operations around these structures. On the southern flank of the fire, structure protection needs will be assessed around the Eureka Dome area.
A Level 2 “Set” evacuation notice remains in effect for residents in Eureka and residences along the Eureka-Rampart Trail due to the Elephant fire. Residents are encouraged to be proactive and think about important necessities such as prescription medications, emergency supplies and important documents. Plan an evacuation route and keep up to date on the most current local emergency plans. Residents are encouraged to follow the Alaska State Troopers Facebook page for the most immediate notification of evacuation changes.
The Lush Fire (#199) is located near Rampart, across the Yukon River and is currently 20,672 acres. A wind change in the afternoon yesterday supported a crown fire towards the northeast with extreme fire behavior. Today, resources will be moved further upriver to access point protection needs should the fire continue to move northeast. On the southwest corner of the fire, crews will work to mop up where they had implemented defensive burning operations.
Critical fire weather is forecast to continue over the Lush Fire area with hot, dry, and windy conditions. In the next day, weather patterns are expected to moderate with slightly higher relative humidity levels and scattered showers. The fire retains the potential to impact Native Alaska Allotments up and downriver.
Overall, fire managers are monitoring 39 other fires in the Tanana Zone and will staff those fires if conditions warrant. For a printable PDF of today’s update, please CLICK HERE.
-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. 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, BLM Alaska Fire Service
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 