Due to extreme wildfire danger and current wildfire activity in Southcentral Alaska, as well as limited resources available to respond to new starts, the Alaska Division of Forestry is instituting an emergency burn closure on state, private, borough and municipal… Read More ›
Swan Lake Fire
McKinley Fire burns at least 50 structures; Parks Highway remains closed
A dramatic increase in fire intensity on the McKinley Fire near Mile 88 of the Parks Highway on Sunday afternoon resulted in the loss of at least 50 structures as firefighters and other emergency responders worked furiously to evacuate and… Read More ›
Swan Lake Fire continues to put up smoke along Sterling Highway; fire weather watch issued through Saturday
A Fire Weather Watch has been issued for the Swan Lake Fire area from 4 p.m. today through Saturday evening for hot, dry, and windy conditions. A Fire Weather Watch is an alert to firefighters and land managers to the… Read More ›
Cloud cover moderates fire activity on Swan Lake Fire
Cloud cover throughout the operational period yesterday once again moderated fire behavior on the 102,548-acre Swan Lake Fire burning in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge despite strong winds from the south. Interior islands of green fuels continued to burn out… Read More ›
Reseeding begins on Swan Lake Fire dozer lines
The 11 miles of dozer line constructed to control the spread of the Swan Lake Fire north of the Sterling Highway have been repaired and reseeding operations began Monday, according to the Alaska Division of Forestry. Fire personnel are utilizing… Read More ›
Swan Lake Fire responds to warm, dry weather with increased smoke
The Swan Lake Fire (#181) burning in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge on the northern Kenai Peninsula has responded to the warm, dry weather of this past week with increased activity and smoke in the Mystery and Thurman Creek drainages… Read More ›
Swan Lake Fire perks up with hotter, drier weather but poses no threat
As expected, fire activity on the Swan Lake Fire (#181) burning on the northern Kenai Peninsula has increased in recent days as a result of unseasonably hot, dry weather. That trend will likely continue until a change in the weather…. Read More ›
Kenai National Wildlife Refuge – Re-opens some recreational areas.
Due to minimal fire activity on the Swan Lake Fire, the majority of firefighters that were camped at these facilities are no longer utilizing them. For that reason, the refuge has re-opened most of the recreation areas affected by the… Read More ›
Smoke Outlook 8/1-2: Generally improving conditions statewide, but Yukon Valley remains smoky
An increase in precipitation across west central Alaska and the Tanana Valley will reduce smoke impacts in many areas; however, the Upper Yukon Valley continues to be relatively dry, and westerly winds will bring in smoke from other areas. Smoke… Read More ›
Smoke Outlook 7/31-8/01: Winds will improve air quality throughout most of Alaska
Though drought persists in the central Interior and warmer, drier weather may cause an increase in fire activity today, winds and recent precipitation trends have resulted in generally better air quality for the Fairbanks, Anchorage and Southeast Alaska regions. North… Read More ›