The National Weather Service in Fairbanks has issued a Red Flag Warning for Wednesday due to a forecast that calls for hot, dry weather and windy conditions. In preparation, firefighters assigned to the Ptarmigan Complex worked over the past several days to reinforce saw lines and improve protection for Alaska Native allotments and other values at risk.
Firefighters put in hard work preparing lines and extinguishing hotspots around the Ptarmigan Complex over the past few days, taking advantage of the cooler, wetter weather. A warming, drying trend is forecast for the next five days. This brings the potential for thunderstorms with lightning and drier fuels that are more receptive to fire.
Firefighters assigned to the Ptarmigan Complex continued to make progress Saturday on the Turtle Fire (#243), Alligator Fire (#265), and Birch Fire (#256).
Firefighters used a thermal camera on a late afternoon reconnaissance flight to look for any heat or hotspots near the perimeters of fires in the Ptarmigan Complex on Friday. Heat was found mostly in forested areas with a closed canopy. Minimal heat was observed in open areas and mostly calm, wispy smoke was seen.
The Ptarmigan Complex is staffed by 127 people following the arrival Thursday of 12 additional smokejumpers and the 11-person Big Sky Helitack crew from Montana. A Type 3 helicopter with Big Sky is assigned to the incident and an additional Type 3 helicopter and a Type 2 helicopter are available to assist the incident as needed.
Smith River Hotshots constructed three-quarters of a mile of indirect line Wednesday near Mile 148 to help protect Alaska Native allotments near the Birch Creek Bridge. That work will continue today. The Alaska Range Module will continue to assess, prioritize, and prep structures along the Steese Highway.
The fires that make up the Ptarmigan Complex near Central and Circle received wetting rain from thunderstorms that passed through the area overnight. A quarter inch of rain was recorded at the portable weather station firefighters set up east of Central.
The fires that make up the Ptarmigan Complex near Central and Circle experienced wetting rain and thunderstorms overnight. More rain and thunderstorms are expected today. This will impact helicopter flights and some operations.
To protect the public and provide for firefighter safety in light of ongoing wildland fire activity associated with the Turtle Fire (#243), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Eastern Interior Field Office announced the closure Monday night of the Lower Birch Creek Wayside near Mile 140 of the Steese Highway.
The Council of Athabaskan Tribal Governments Type 2 wildland firefighting crew and the Paradise Valley Type 2 hand crew arrived in Central on Sunday to help fight the fires that make up the Ptarmigan Complex.
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 