(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 Montana. The returning crews – Nulato, Marshall, Upper Tanana #2 and Fairbanks #1 – are […]
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Last of the EFF crews to return from Lower 48 fire Sunday
September 22, 2017 
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Two new fires keep firefighters busy in Copper River Basin Thursday
August 11, 2017 Comments Off on 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 day for Copper River Area Forestry. A private aircraft reported the fire to the Tok […]
Continue reading Jet load of crews head south to help with busy fire season
August 11, 2017 Comments Off on 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 plus the University of Alaska-Fairbanks Nanook Fire Crew were handed two sack lunches and boarded […]
Continue reading DOF firefighters contain fire near Nenana after locals use bucket brigade to douse flames
August 9, 2017 Comments Off on 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 an BLM Alaska Fire Service (BLM AFS) helicopter and Alaska Division of Forestry (DOF) firefighters […]
Continue readingFirefighters, scoopers continue work on Chistochina Fire
August 5, 2017 Comments Off on Firefighters, scoopers continue work on Chistochina Fire
Firefighters and water-scoopers jumped into action Saturday morning to catch spot fires from the Chistochina River Fire (#381). On Friday, firefighters on the ground and the four water-scooping Fire Boss airplanes stopped the fire 75-100 yards from nearby homes and the highway. Today, Fire Boss aircraft dropped water from the air while firefighters used hose […]
Continue reading Smokejumpers, aircraft work on new fire north of Fort Yukon
July 29, 2017 Comments Off on Smokejumpers, aircraft work on new fire north of Fort Yukon
Eight smokejumpers and five aircraft were busy Saturday night trying to suppress a new fire burning about 10 miles northwest of Fort Yukon. The Shovun Lake Fire (#371) was spotted shortly after 3 p.m. today by BLM Alaska Fire Service personnel flying a detection flight in the area. It was originally reported as one acre […]
Continue reading Smokejumpers continue to protect cabin from Nowitna Fire
July 26, 2017 Comments Off on Smokejumpers continue to protect cabin from Nowitna Fire
Eight BLM Alaska Fire Service smokejumpers continue to work on protecting a cabin from the 57,781-acre Nowitna Fire (#336) – the only one of 55 active fires statewide that is staffed. The area received enough rain Tuesday night and Wednesday morning to stymie the fire’s growth through a mixture of black and white spruce, grass and […]
Continue readingFire weather concerns are forecast to diminish early next week
July 21, 2017 Comments Off on Fire weather concerns are forecast to diminish early next week
Cooler temperatures and moderate relative humidity are being reported by firefighters assigned to fires from southwest of Galena to those northeast of Fort Yukon. Isolated thunderstorms continue to move across the region, but they have produced minimal rainfall in some areas and missed others. Fire weather concerns are forecast to diminish early next week as […]
Continue readingFire reported Thursday in the BLM White Mountains National Recreation Area
July 20, 2017 Comments Off on Fire reported Thursday in the BLM White Mountains National Recreation Area
Pilots in passing aircraft Thursday reported a fire along Wickersham Creek in the BLM White Mountains National Recreation Area. BLM Smokejumper aircraft personnel confirmed the fire as they were returning from another mission. They reported the Wickersham Dome Fire (#353) to be 10 acres burning in black spruce and tundra. It is about 3 miles […]
Continue readingHot weather keeps fires active across northern Interior Alaska
July 20, 2017 Comments Off on Hot weather keeps fires active across northern Interior Alaska
Hot weather dominated the northern Interior once again on as temperatures in the 80’s were recorded from the Kobuk Valley to the upper Yukon River. Chalkyitsik reported a high of 88 degrees. West to southwest winds will increase today, relative humidity will generally be in the upper 20s to lower 30s, and temperatures will remain […]
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