Cooler, Wetter Holiday Weekend Forecast Reduces Risk of New Fires in Southeastern Alaska – Alaska Wildland Fire Information

Rainy skies and cooler temperatures will begin to move into Southcentral Alaska over the next few days, decreasing the risk of initial attack fires over the holiday weekend. Firefighters responded to 3 new initial attack fires in the area on Wednesday. Meadow fire (No. 348)he Kasilof Muskeg (#352) and the Osprey Fire (#355) All were captured within 0.1 acres thanks to the quick actions of local fire crews.

Happy 4th of July! The Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection would like to remind you to exercise extreme caution with any fire or fireworks in the coming days. Several major incidents are currently occurring across the landscape and firefighting resources are limited. Under current conditions, any ignition source can quickly escalate into a large and destructive wildfire. As a reminder, fireworks are not permitted in the Kenai and Mat-Su Boroughs. Please help keep yourself, your neighbors, and your local first responders safe this July 4th.

This is a report on fires that have occurred in the Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection's coastal protection area, generally south of the Alaska Range. These include the Southwest, Anchorage Mat-Su, Kenai-Kodiak, and Copper River DOF areas.

Prairie Fire (#348)– The Prairie Fire, 4 miles west of Soldotna, was reported late Wednesday afternoon. Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection crews, working with Kenai Peninsula District Central Emergency Services, quickly responded to contain the wildfire that had spread into the wilderness. The fire was safely contained to 0.1 acres and posed no threat to the surrounding area.

Kasilof Muskeg Fire (#352)- The Kasilof Muskeg Fire was reported early Wednesday evening. The fire was located 1 mile from the west boundary of the Tustumena Lake Fire (#311). Resources assigned to the Tustumena Lake incident immediately responded to the fire due to their proximity and quickly extinguished the fire to 0.1 acres. The fire was started by an unattended campfire that had spread into the wilderness.

Osprey Fire (#355) – Located 3 miles east of Nikiski, the fire was reported early Thursday morning. Crews arrived to find a shed that had caught fire and the fire had spread into the wilderness. With mutual aid from the Nikiski-Kenai Peninsula Borough Fire Department, the fire was quickly extinguished to 0.1 acres and after a thorough mop-up, all resources returned to their stations.

Tustumena Lake Fire (No. 311) – The 35-acre Tustumena Lake Fire, 20 miles south of Soldotna, is 100 percent contained and has not grown in size in the past two days. Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection Pioneer Peak Hotshots and other assigned fire personnel will continue to clear the perimeter of the fire using pumps and hoses with support from water-dropping helicopters as needed. The fire burned through heavy, downed trees in thick stands of black spruce during its initial passage, requiring significant cleanup and manpower to be successful. Crews will use helicopters to begin transporting firefighting tools no longer used on the fire to the Centennial Lake Campground so they can be reconditioned and sent to other fires in the area. Additional assigned fire apparatus will be released as the needs on the fire decrease over the next 24 hours. There are currently 34 personnel assigned to the incident.

The Slack Water boat launch on the Kasilof River and Tustumena Campground are currently open and have no impact on firefighting operations. The Centennial Lake Campground remains closed as firefighters are using it to bring in supplies and equipment for firefighting efforts.

Smoke and air resources will continue to be visible along the Tustumena Lake Road corridor as air resources support ground firefighters from the Centennial Lake Campground area. The fire poses no threat to Kenai Peninsula residents at this time. For more information on community impact, please visit info.kpb.us. This is the one-stop shop for ready, set, go, know your zones and other response information.

American Creek Fire (#143) – Located 40 km northeast of King Salmon, this lightning-ignited fire is burning in a limited response area and is estimated to be 1,800 hectares in size. The fire continues to show minimal growth. Fire managers will continue to monitor the fire closely, allowing it to play its natural role on the landscape while taking advantage of geographic barriers and areas of reduced vegetation that will minimize fire behavior and the threat it poses to area values.

With cooler temperatures and higher humidity in Southwest Alaska on Wednesday, the Type 3 organization known as the Red Devil Group continues to work to contain several fires in its response areas. Assigned personnel and acreage have been updated to reflect the most recent numbers over the past 24 hours. The majority of the fires in this group have been contained and moved to watch status, but will continue to be monitored frequently by area air assets. This will be the last report on the following fires unless significant activity occurs.

Cribby Creek Fire (#201) – 3 miles north of Red Devil, the fire is burning in a modified response area and is estimated at 91 acres with 100% containment. There are currently 46 personnel assigned to the fire. The Del Rosa and Laguna Hotshots continue to protect native allotments along the Kuskokwim River across from Red Devil using hand lines and pumps with hoses for additional water support. The Laguna Hotshots will be released from the fire today and will be reassigned to other fires in the area as workloads decrease and fire managers right-size the fire organization.

Categories: Alaska DNR – Division of Forestry (DOF)

Keywords: Alaska Fire Season 2024, AKDOF, Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection, DOF Coastal Region, Kenai-Kodiak Region Forestry, Mat-Su Region Forestry