Firefighters have achieved 70% containment on the Cecil Fire (#315), while the Big Fire (#313) continues to hold at 10% contained.
Forty-nine firefighters are assigned to the Big Fire, which is 257 acres. They continue to find and extinguish hotspots along the fire perimeter, removing interior pockets of heat that could threaten control lines. Twelve smokejumpers were released from the incident on Thursday to prepare for initial attack on any new fires that might start during the current warming, drying trend in the weather.
Sixty-seven firefighters are assigned to the Cecil Fire, which is 724 acres. Crews continue to identify and put out hotspots, working in from the perimeter to eliminate interior pockets of heat that could threaten control lines.
Detected on June 26, the Big and Cecil fires were caused by lightning. They are separated by about a half mile and are roughly 11 miles east of Ruby but are not currently threatening the community or nearby Native allotments.
PREDICTED WEATHER: For Friday, warmer and drier weather is expected as the possibility of thunderstorms increases. Conditions look favorable for stronger outflow winds of 30 to 40 mph if thunderstorms develop. Storms could be slow moving and bring heavy rain; however, if they miss the fires, temperatures will climb back into the 70s, with minimum relative humidities at critical levels of 25 to 30%. Winds will likely be northerly through the day becoming southwesterly overnight into Saturday.
AIR QUALITY: Smoke has not significantly impacted Ruby, but residents should stay alert to changing conditions and take steps to protect their health if smoke moves into the community. Find more air quality information at https://dec.alaska.gov/air/anpms/wildfire-smoke/. Wildfire smoke contains fine particles and other pollutants that can be harmful to people’s health. It can irritate the eyes and lungs and is especially dangerous for elders, young children, and people with heart or respiratory conditions.
For updated fire information, visit Alaska Wildland Fire Information (akfireinfo.com).
NOTE: Updates for the Big and Cecil fires are being released on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Categories: Active Wildland Fire, US Wildland Fire Service
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 