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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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Taking Flight: Alaska pioneers use of drones on wildland fires
Alaska wildland firefighters pioneered the use of unmanned aerial systems, or drones, on fires across the country this summer to help provide fire crew support, hot spot detection and mapping. Statewide, the Bureau of Land Management in Alaska owns 17… Read More ›
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BLM Alaska Fire Service, U.S. Army To Burn Debris Piles near Delta Junction
Nov. 14, 2017 Update: This prescribed burning of debris piles was suspended indefinitely due to weather conditions – specifically an estimated foot of snow that fell in the Delta and Gerstle River training areas over the weekend. BLM Alaska Fire… Read More ›
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BLM Alaska Fire Service, U.S. Army To Burn Debris Piles on Military Lands
The Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service (BLM AFS), in cooperation with the U.S. Army Alaska (USARAK), will be burning piles of woody debris on Fort Wainwright main post and military training areas south of Fairbanks. Burning operations… Read More ›
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Last of the EFF crews to return from Lower 48 fire Sunday
(FAIRBANKS, Alaska) – The final four of the 23 Type 2 emergency firefighter crews (EFF) who have fought fire in the Lower 48 this year are returning to Alaska Sunday afternoon after spending two weeks working on a wildfire in… Read More ›
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Forestry works on new fire near Nenana
Fairbanks Area Forestry firefighters are working on a small fire burning along the Tanana River 15 miles downriver from Nenana. The new fire is one of 31 active fires in Alaska and underscores the continued potential for new fires especially… Read More ›
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Two new fires keep firefighters busy in Copper River Basin Thursday
A Division of Forestry heliattack crew, eight BLM Alaska Fire Service smokejumpers and four water-scooping Fire Boss airplanes rushed to aggressively attack a wildfire burning 17 miles east of Lake Louise Thursday evening. It was the second fire of the… Read More ›
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Jet load of crews head south to help with busy fire season
A mixture of young and veteran Alaska firefighters left BLM Alaska Fire Service facilities at Fort Wainwright Friday morning to help with the busy fire season in the Lower 48. Three emergency firefighter crews from Upper Kalskag, Selawik and Noorvik… Read More ›
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Fireworks start wildfire near Gakona
Firefighters scrambled early Thursday morning to put out a wildfire burning near the Copper River that was ignited by fireworks. The .5 Tok Cut-off Fire (#389) started below a bluff overlooking the Copper River. Fireworks aren’t prohibited in the area despite a… Read More ›
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DOF firefighters contain fire near Nenana after locals use bucket brigade to douse flames
Local residents formed a bucket brigade to knock down a wildfire they found burning next to the Middle Tanana River near Nenana yesterday. Five residents, including a couple of men with past wildland firefighting experience, worked on the fire until… Read More ›
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Crews continue to seek out hot spots on Chistochina River Fire
Crews continue mopping up the Chistochina River Fire (#381). They secured at least 50 feet in from the fire’s perimeter yesterday. The goal is to ensure the entire 98 acre fire is mopped up and all hot spots are extinguished…. Read More ›
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 