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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 244 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 $10 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.
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Firefighters, aircraft work on fire southeast of Dalton Highway Yukon River Crossing
Firefighters and multiple aircraft are busy Friday night trying to suppress the Isom Creek Fire (#187) burning southeast of the Yukon River Crossing on the Dalton Highway. Sixteen BLM Alaska Fire Service smokejumpers and multiple aircraft including two large and… Read More ›
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Lightning continues to ignite fires in Western Alaska
Lightning continues to sweep across Alaska and is blamed for leaving at least 57 new fires in its wake since Saturday. Most these new fires are in Western Alaska including the 15 new fires Wednesday in the BLM Alaska Fire… Read More ›
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Rain, higher humidity calms Clear Creek Fire burning south of Fairbanks
June 6, 2020 update – After receiving a significant amount of rain this week, the Clear Creek Fire (#128) burning in the Tanana Flats Training Area 9 miles south of Fairbanks exhibited no fire activity and very little smoke during two flights… Read More ›
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Lightning ignites at least 15 fires across Alaska this weekend
Firefighters and aircraft were are busy Sunday working on two lightning-caused fires burning within 25 miles of Unlakleet with more firefighters slated to joint the effort after lightning became a big factor in new fire starts in Alaska this weekend…. Read More ›
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Wildfire threat reduced on more than 68,000 acres of military training lands in Interior Alaska
Prescribed burning to reduce the threat of wildfire on military training lands in Interior Alaska was completed with approximately 30,000 acres burned to treat more than 68,000 acres.
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Smokejumpers respond to third human-caused fire west of Fort Yukon
Firefighters urge public to be careful outdoor activities don’t ignite a fire BLM Alaska Fire Service smokejumpers are working on the third human-caused fire found west of Fort Yukon in the past two weeks. In the case of the Yukon… Read More ›
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BLM issues fire restrictions for federal lands near Steese Highway NOAA Facility
FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on May 14 issued a Fire Prevention Order prohibiting campfires, explosives and fireworks on federal lands in a fire-prone area of black spruce off of Gilmore Trail north of Fairbanks and north… Read More ›
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AFS Smokejumpers conduct first fire jump of year near Fort Yukon
BLM Alaska Fire Service smokejumpers mobilized Tuesday afternoon for the first time this year for a small fire burning about 13 miles west of Fort Yukon. The eight smokejumpers were able to stop the 1-acre Mink Fire’s movement within a… Read More ›
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About 60% of prescribed burning to reduce the threat of wildfire on Interior Alaska military training lands complete
About 60 percent of prescribed burning to reduce the threat of wildfire on military training lands in Interior Alaska is complete with the rest targeted for completion sometime in the next two weeks – as long as the weather cooperates.
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Burn operations planned on military training lands in Fairbanks North Star Borough to reduce wildfire threat
Starting as early as Saturday, the Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service (BLM AFS), in cooperation with U.S. Army Alaska (USARAK), could start setting prescribed fires on Fort Wainwright and the Yukon Training Area (YTA) to reduce the likelihood of… Read More ›
