The Globe Fire is now grouped into a fire complex – Alaska Wildfire Information

It was another active day for Globe Fire firefighters and for firefighters who work to protect property from fires in the area.

THE Fire Globe (#253) is now part of the Grapefruit Complex, named after a nearby rock climbing site. It significantly burned the area around these limestone boulders and spread east Saturday toward the White Mountains National Recreation Area, which has a fire closure that includes the Wickersham Dome Trail.

On Friday, the Iver and Slate fires merged into Iver Fire (#249), now estimated at 14,649 acres and burning 10 miles east of Lake Minto. It threatens a native subdivision and spreads quickly through the spruce trees towards Elliott Road, where the Globe Fire is already present. The Trans-Alaska Pipeline lies between the two fires, with the Iver Fire located approximately 7 miles southwest of the Globe Fire crossing at mile 39.

The complex also includes:

• THE Eagle Fire (#306) is estimated at 40 acres and was backed, crawling and brooding in a mix of spruce and hardwoods. It did not immediately threaten any known sites of value. This fire caused by lightning has been raging since Friday evening.
• THE Wilber's Fire (#308) A fire was reported around 2 p.m. Saturday. It's about 4 miles west of mile 51.
• THE Tatlina's Fire (#292) was reported by a motorist passing east of kilometre 51 of the Elliott Highway.
• THE Fire Noordor (#192) is estimated at 7,195 acres. This lightning-caused fire has been burning on BLM-managed land since June 20.
• THE Fossil Fire (#115) shows no fire or smoke activity, but will still be grouped in the complex. It is located in the White Mountain National Recreation Area.

Firefighters, including smokejumpers, two hotshot teams and the BLM Type 2 CATG team from Yukon Flats, are working to clear brush and install sprinkler systems on structures threatened by the Globe Fire. 94 people are assigned to the fire, with the Hotshot Crew from Silver City, New Mexico, arriving Sunday. The Eagle Lake Wildfire Module from California arrived at the fire site Saturday evening and is tasked with assessing the structure along Elliott Highway from Mile 39 to Livengood at 32 miles north.

The fire was estimated at 9,342 acres as of Saturday. Thick smoke hampered ground or aerial surveys and made it dangerous for aircraft to fly for suppression efforts.

Smoke continues to hamper aerial support for firefighters working on the ground who are tasked with putting protective measures in place at more than 40 structures, Aboriginal housing estates and the Globe Creek camp. A few days ago, the fire crossed the road north of Camp Globe Creek and south of a housing development, leaving the structures intact.

A GO evacuation order is still in effect for people near mileposts 39 to 48.

The section of Elliott Highway near the Globe Fire reopened late Thursday evening. Expect significant delays between mileposts 25 and 50 if fire activity increases as it did Thursday afternoon. Please use caution and patience, turn on your headlights to ensure the safety of firefighters and flaggers working in the area. Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities contract workers and a pilot car help keep traffic open.

Check for route updates.

Warmer and drier conditions are expected to continue through the weekend. There is a risk of isolated thunderstorms and possibly rain in the afternoon. Winds could be strong and erratic around the thunderstorms.

To learn more about the Globe Fire, visit

For more information, call the Alaska Interagency Wildfire Information Office at (907) 356-5511.

-BLM-

Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Fire Department, PO Box 35005 1541 Gaffney Road, Fort Wainwright, Ak 99703

Need public domain images to supplement media coverage of the Alaska BLM Fire Department in Alaska?

Visit our Flickr channel!
To learn more, visit www.blm.gov/AlaskaFireService, as well as on Facebook and Twitter.

The Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service (AFS) located in Fort Wainwright, Alaska, provides wildland firefighting services on more than 240 million acres of Department of the Interior and Native Corporation lands in Alaska. In addition, the AFS has other statewide responsibilities, including: interpreting fire management policy; oversight of the BLM Alaska Aviation program; fuel management projects; and the operation and maintenance of advanced communications and computing systems such as the Alaska Lightning Detection System. AFS also maintains a National Incident Support Cache with an inventory of 18.1 million. The Alaska Fire Service provides wildland firefighting services for America's “last frontier” on an interagency basis with the State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources, the Alaska Forest Service. USDA, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Army in Alaska.

Categories: Active Wildfires, AK Fire Info, BLM Alaska Fire Service

Keywords: Globe Fire, Grapefruit Complex