(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 ›
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.
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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… Read More ›
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… Read More ›
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… Read More ›
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… Read More ›
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)… Read More ›
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… Read More ›