More than 20 firefighters are continuing to mop up and patrol the Shovel Creek Fire (#319). The 22,453-acre wildfire near Murphy Dome about 20 miles northwest of Fairbanks is 55 percent contained. The fire was started by lightning on June 21. Command of the fire was transferred from a Type 3 to a Type 4 […]
Continue reading
Shovel Creek Fire: Winds Push Fire East with Level 2 evacuation alert for Martin and Perfect Perch subdivisions
With the #ShovelCreekFire near Murphy Dome established east of 7 Mile Trail, the Alaska Incident Management Team managing the fire has recommended to Fairbanks North Star Borough Emergency Operations to raise the evacuation alert for both Martin and Perfect Perch subdivisions from a Level 1 (READY) to a Level 2 (SET). The Martin and Perfect […]
Continue reading
Crews fighting to keep Shovel Creek Fire within containment lines; Nugget Creek Fire grows to 1,550 acres
On Thursday, the Shovel Creek Fire continued to burn actively in black spruce within the Shovel Creek basin. Despite cooler temperatures, increased cloud cover, and light winds, some individual and group tree torching did occur. As of Friday morning, the fire was estimated at 2,307 acres, an increase of about 700 acres, accoding to the […]
Continue reading
Shovel Creek Fire crosses creek, grows to 1,600 acres
On Wednesday afternoon, winds from the northeast increased fire activity on the western flank of the Shovel Creek Fire in the Shovel Creek drainage. Due to spotting embers, an 80-acre spot fire grew on the west side of Shovel Creek as the fire burned uphill into the 2009 Hardluck Creek Fire scar. Overall, the Shovel […]
Continue reading
Shovel Creek Fire grows to 900 acres; community meeting tonight in Goldstream Valley
The Alaska Incident Management Team will host a community meeting for the Shovel Creek Fire (#319) on Wednesday, June 26 beginning at 6:00 p.m. at the Ken Kunkel Community Center pavilion (2645 Goldstream Road, Fairbanks AK). The incident management team will provide an update on the current fire situation and be available to answer questions […]
Continue reading
Increase in fire activity prompts Level 1 evacuation alert for Shovel Creek Fire
The Alaskan Type 2 Incident Management Team (Incident Commander Norm McDonald) assumed command of the Shovel Creek (#319) and Nugget Creek (#323) Fires 7 a.m. on Monday, June 24. The Shovel Creek Fire was started by lightning on June 21 and is located 3 miles north of Murphy Dome, about 20 miles northwest of Fairbanks. […]
Continue readingBorough puts Murphy Dome residents on alert about increased activity on Shovel Creek Fire
Fire activity has increased on the Shovel Creek Fire burning northwest of Fairbanks near Murphy Dome. At the recommendation of the incident commander of the Alaska Type 2 Green Incident Management Team the Fairbanks North Star Borough has issued a “Level 1: Ready” evacuation notice for residents in the following areas: Martin subdivision McCloud subdivision […]
Continue reading
Cooler, wetter weather helps on Shovel Creek Fire; Alaska Type 2 team takes charge
Cooler temperatures and higher relative humidities on Sunday helped moderate fire behavior on the Shovel Creek Fire (#319), burning approximately 20 miles northwest of Fairbanks. As of Monday morning, the fire which is 3 miles north of Murphy Dome was estimated at 650 acres and there were 146 personnel working to contain the fire, which […]
Continue reading
Rain, cooler weather help tamp down wildfires in Fairbanks, Tok
Heavy precipitation on Saturday and drizzly, cool weather on Sunday greatly subdued fire activity on the 310-acre Caribou Creek Fire (#255) burning north of Two Rivers about 25 miles east of Fairbanks. The remote, lightning-caused fire approximately 7.5 miles north of Chena Hot Springs Road near milepost 18 was 40 percent contained as of Sunday morning, […]
Continue reading
Dramatic Wind Shift Pushes Shovel Creek Fire to the North
A dramatic wind shift produced by a passing thunderstorm Saturday night caused the Shovel Creek Fire (#319) northwest of Fairbanks to burn through an old retardant line and push north toward cabins along the Chatanika River, prompting an aggressive, late-night aerial response by firefighting personnel to slow the advance of the fire. The fire, which […]
Continue reading