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Alaska Division of Forestry website: http://forestry.alaska.gov/
Mission:
The Alaska Division of Forestry proudly serves Alaskans through forest management and wildland fire protection.
The Wildland Fire and Aviation Program provides safe, cost-effective and efficient fire protection services and related fire and aviation management activities to protect human life and values on State, private and municipal lands. The wildland fire program cooperates with other wildland fire agencies on a statewide, interagency basis.
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Fairbanks Area Forestry to burn hundreds of slash piles near Cripple Creek, Goldstream AK subdivisions
Weather permitting, the DOF’s Fairbanks Area Forestry office will start burning on October 4 and be done by October 29, said fire management officer Gordon Amundson. There are approximately 2,500 to 3,000 slash piles, each about 10 feet around and four feet tall. Local residents may see smoke from the burning.
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Repair work progressing on dozer lines put in during Haystack Fire
Suppression repair work began September 1 and should be completed by October 1. A single excavator is being used to complete most of the suppression repair, which primarily consists of rehabilitating approximately 5 miles of dozer lines.
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Weekend wildfire starts prove dry conditions still exist in parts of Alaska
Firefighters quickly contained a pair of new wildfires near Delta Junction over the weekend proving that the wildfire season lingers in some parts of Eastern Alaska.
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Heavy rain dampens activity on Munson Creek Fire; evacuation level reduced to ‘Ready’
The fire received rain on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with the heaviest rainfall reported on Sunday. As of Monday morning, a remote automated weather station near the fire had received 1.2 inches of precipitation since Friday.
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Rain and cooler weather take edge off Munson Creek Fire near Chena Hot Springs
The fire received what Peterson described as “solid rain” Friday but that along won’t be enough to put it out. It will require substantial rain to put the fire out. Nonetheless, the cooler, wetter weather will retard fire behavior and keep the fire from acting up like it had been during the hot, dry weather earlier this week.
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Fish smoker believed to be responsible for small wildfire near Willow in Mat-Su Valley
Two engines and Helitack from Mat-Su Area Forestry in Palmer responded, as well as multiple engines and water tenders from four local fire departments – Houston, Caswell, Talkeetna and Willow. With assistance from helicopter water drops, firefighters on the ground were able to quickly corral the fire and contain it to one-half acre.
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Salcha River 2 Fire grows to estimated 3,000 acres; smoke impacting Fairbanks
The 3,000-acre Salcha River 2 Fire about 65 miles east of Fairbanks and 15 miles southeast of the Munson Creek Fire is also putting up significant smoke due to increased activity caused by the record-setting heat wave that has broiled the Central and Eastern Interior in recent days. Northeast winds have been pushing smoke from the two fires into Fairbanks and the surrounding areas the past two days.
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Renewed activity on Munson Creek Fire prompts heightened evacuation level for residences at end of Chena Hot Springs Road
The heightened evacuation level is due to increased fire activity between Miles 52-54 of Chena Hot Springs Road, where the fire has crept to within one-quarter mile of some cabins and homes near Mile 53. The North Fork of the Chena River is between the fire and the structures but the proximity of the fire to the cabins and homes prompted fire managers to recommend raising the evacuation alert level.
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State forestry and Nenana VFD snuff out small wildfire along Alaska Railroad tracks
A helicopter and two water-scooping aircraft were called in to make water drops on the Nenana Rail Fire while a small group of firefighters from the Fairbanks Area Forestry and the Nenana Volunteer Fire Department on the ground worked to contain it at 2 acres.
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Firefighters mopping up 4-acre Redmond Creek fire 11 miles east of Harding Lake
The water bombers were scooping water from nearby Harding Lake, making for quick turnaround times. The four scoopers made a total 48 water drops on the fire totaling 33,600 gallons of water in a matter of two hours.
