BLM Alaska Fire Service

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.

Smokejumpers, aircraft corral new wildfire near Central

Smokejumpers, aided by aircraft, were able to corral the Deadwood Fire (#315) burning near Central late Friday night. Firefighters will spend Saturday tracking down any spot fires that sprung up outside the main fire’s perimeter and making sure the sawed control line around the main fire holds. The BLM Alaska Fire Service Midnight Sun Hotshots will join the 16 smokejumpers on the ground today to help work toward the goal of making sure the 33-acre fire is completely extinguished.

Firefighters conduct successful burn out on Dry Creek Fire south of Manley Hot Springs

Firefighters successfully conducted a burn operation to protect Native allotments along the Tanana River Friday from the advancing Dry Creek Fire. Due to the fire’s progress and rapid growth to the northwest in recent days, fire managers decided to take action to protect the two properties near the confluence of the Tanana River and Hot Springs Slough. The fire is now estimated at 26,000 acres. It is still south of the Tanana River.