More crews arrive as thunderstorms continue to bring heavy rain to some southwest Alaska fires – Alaska Wildland Fire Information

Scattered rain showers and thunderstorms continued to move through southwest Alaska Saturday and are expected to continue through Sunday. There are 30 active fires in the area, several of which have received varying amounts of precipitation. Thunderstorms produced heavy rain and a significant number of lightning strikes, particularly in the eastern and northern parts of the region. Lightning is responsible for another start Saturday night east of Von Frank Mountain. Additional fires may be discovered. Lightning strikes can leave sensitive vegetation burning until the sun and wind can bring them back to life. These delayed fires are called lightning effects. Detection flights are planned, but with fires increasing across the state, priority must be given to critical response areas. There were 16 new fires across the state on Saturday. Additional fire crews are being deployed to fight wildfires in southwest Alaska. Crews were requested from the Lower 48 to bring additional resources to the state. The first flight is expected on Monday.

The new fire in the southwest area was reported by McGrath's Air Attack on Saturday in response to another fire. THE Von Frank Fire (#219), 60 miles northeast of McGrath, is burning in a limited response zone. An update from a passing smoke jump plane later in the day estimated the fire was 20 acres, burning spruce trees and torching isolated trees. No nearby valuable property is at risk. This fire will be placed on monitored status.

Below is an update on Saturday's actions on fires managed by the Type 3 organization in southwest Alaska, now known as the Red Devil Group. Staff assigned and square footage have been updated to reflect the most recent figures.

Cribby Creek Fire (#201) – 3 miles north of Red Devil is burning in a modified response zone and is estimated at 400 acres with 10% containment. 28 people affected. The BLM Alaska Fire Service's Chena Hotshot Team joined the eight smoke bombers working the fire. Light rain in the morning dried up by midday and the fires started again. Firefighters will improve existing fire lines and work to secure the fire boundary. There are few water supply options, but crews will develop pipelays where possible. A helicopter assigned to the Red Devil Group will provide water drops and logistical support. Strong northerly winds forecast for the next two days are raising concerns about the fires spreading south.

South Fork George River Fire (#172) – 8.5 miles northeast of Georgetown in a modified response zone. Satellite mapping reduced the area to 5,043 acres. A planned reconnaissance flight was diverted to higher priority fires. Satellite monitoring shows no new heat signatures and has provided a better estimate of size. The Red Devil Group will assess Indigenous attributions in the region as it develops a response plan in anticipation of the arrival of teams from the Lower 48.

Portage Fire (#169) – 5.5 miles southwest of Georgetown, south of the Kuskokwim River, in a full response area and is estimated at 1,500 acres. Rain in the fire area moderated activity. The US Forest Service's initial R-10 Type 2 attack team was transported to the fire in the afternoon. The helicopter assigned to the group delivered supplies and additional equipment to support firefighters and suppression efforts. The work focuses on the protection of indigenous plots located to the east and west of the fire. Due to moderate fire behavior, personnel are working directly on the fire perimeter, along the south edge cut line and construction pipe lays.

Other active fires in southwest Alaska follow with updates Saturday on suppression efforts, personnel and acreage.

Beaver Creek Fire (#210) – 29 miles southwest of McGrath and east of the Takotna River are burning in a modified response zone and are estimated at 50 acres. The fire investigation could not be completed. The nearest subdivision is 3.25 miles northwest of the fire, with the Takotna River and its riparian area providing a barrier to the fire. The precipitation caused by the fire moderated the fire behavior. This fire will be monitored by firefighters. No additional updates will be provided here unless significant activity occurs.

Crater Mountain Fire (#206) – 18 miles west of Takotna, between Ganes and Beaver creeks, burning in a full response zone and estimated at 1,000 acres. The 12 smoke bombs were moved to the Ganes Creek Mine, 3 miles north of the fire to assess what is needed for structural protection of the mine infrastructure. The change in tactics is due to the lack of water sources in the fire zone. The fire received some precipitation from thunderstorms, which moderated its behavior.

Flat Creek Fire (#178) – 1.75 miles south of the Flat Mining Area airstrip in a full response area, estimated at 36 acres. Firefighters searched the fire for good and found no areas of heat. The fire is contained, brought under control and reported. All personnel were freed from the fire. This will be the last update on this fire.

Ivy Creek Fire (#156) – 14.5 miles north of McGrath in a modified response zone. More precise mapping reduced the estimated area to 70 acres with 98% containment. 27 people affected. Firefighters continue to expand their cleanup zone up to 100 feet wide in the burned area along the perimeter of the fire. Thunderstorms impacted the fire, causing heavy rain for 2.5 hours as well as significant lightning.

There are 22 additional fires burning in limited management areas that will continue to be monitored by the DOF Southwest Zone Office. The Division of Forestry and Fire Protection will continue to share information about fires in southwest Alaska as it becomes available through reconnaissance flights and ground resources.

For more information about fire response management options in Alaska, visit

For more information on active fires in Alaska, read the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center's daily situation report available online here,

Categories: Active wildfires, Alaska DNR – Division of Forestry (DOF)

Tags: Beaver Creek Fire, Crater Mountain Fire, Cribby Creek Fire, Plane Fire Boss, Flat Creek Fire, Ivy Creek Fire, McGrath, Portage Fire, South Fork George River Fire, Von Frank Fire