Alaska 2005 Season

[NJFFSA16]

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Alaska's fire season has already heated
up, with crews scrambling to battle numerous blazes, including a
fire from last year's record season that smoldered all winter.
Fire managers said Sunday the outbreaks in Home Interior
Alaska and Hoonah hit even before some crews have completed their
annual training and safety refresher courses held at the beginning
of each season.
"Mother Nature is throwing us a curve this year," said John
See, a spokesman for the state Division of Forestry. "We're
getting more challenging fires like what we usually would be seeing
in a few weeks."
About 80 firefighters were tackling a 3,270-acre wildfire in
Homer on the Kenai Peninsula, and fire managers requested more
help. The fire was reported Friday afternoon and quickly doubled in
size. But half of the crews didn't arrive until a full day later.
"This is the time of year a lot of crews are finishing up their
training and safety refreshers, so it's hard to put together all
the resources," Kris Eriksen, a forestry division spokeswoman.
"It takes longer than it would if we were completely ready."
Available crews concentrated on the southern end about two miles
from a residential subdivision, even though the western perimeter
was more active. That area is of less concern because there's no
immediate populated area, Eriksen said.
In Interior Alaska, a dozen firefighters worked Sunday on
putting out a three-acre flare-up from a wildfire that contributed
to the record 6.7 million acres burned in the state last year.
"We don't see any other new source for the ignition," said
Marsha Henderson, a state forestry division spokeswoman. "Last
fall, some fires were still burning when it started to snow."
As of Sunday, only one of two air tankers chartered from Canada
had arrived. The other won't be delivered until May 10, Henderson
said. The tanker was immediately in demand, with three new large
Interior fires reported Sunday.
The plane, which drops flame retardant, was heading to Homer
when it was diverted to a 40-acre fire in Nenana. Before arriving
there, the plane was diverted to a 150-acre fire near Delta
Junction, then to a 15-acre blaze threatening homes, See said.
"In terms of the number of fires, we're kind of on track, but
typically this early we see very small fires, usually ones that
escape from debris burns," See said.
In Southeast Alaska, crews were mopping up the remains of a
400-acre wildfire that came within 250 yards of a Christian farming
community about three miles south of Hoonah.
The 400-acre blaze forced 15 members of the Mount Bether Bible
Center to flee Friday. They were allowed to return Saturday night
after crews contained the fire, said John Baldwin, Hoonah district
ranger for the U.S. Forest Service.
The region's fire season usually runs from mid-April into June,
but area crews aren't scheduled to begin their refresher training
for another week, Baldwin said. "We're still carrying over from
last year's training," he said.

APTV 05-02-05 0559EDT

[NJFFSA16]

HOMER, Alaska (AP) - Cooler temperatures and higher humidity
helped quiet a wildfire Tuesday near Homer, keeping it at about
4,800 acres, a fire official said.
Fire managers said chemical retardant dropped a day before
stemmed the spread of the blaze near the Anchor River. The fire
burned right down to the water's edge on Monday, but was prevented
from crossing the river and moving toward the Russian village of
Nikolaevsk.
Division of Forestry spokeswoman Kris Eriksen said the situation
had improved to the point where a delivery of retardant was
canceled Tuesday morning.
The fire was about 50 percent contained. Eriksen said she
expected that only to improve with the cooler, wetter weather.
"Now with the weather cooperating and the increased humidity,
it is laying down really well," she said.
As of 2 p.m., there were reports of no active flames anywhere on
the fire, she said.
The forecast for the Homer area was for more clouds with the
possibility of rain over the next several days.
On Monday, an airborne tanker dropped five loads of retardant,
including loads parallel to and about a half mile from the Anchor
River.
No one has been hurt in the fire which began last Friday. A
recreation cabin burned Sunday.
A suspension of burn permits remains in effect for the Kenai
Peninsula, with the warning from state officials that a person who
starts a wildfire could be held liable for firefighting costs and
face criminal penalties.
The blaze had sent up plumes of smoke Monday that were visible
from Nikolaevsk, but there was no immediate threat to residents,
Eriksen said.
"It's very deceptive when you're looking at a column," she
said. "It looks closer than it is."
Eriksen said the fire was far less active along its southern
edge. That's where the fire originated last week, sparked by a
downed power line a couple miles from a residential subdivision
northeast of Homer.
In Interior Alaska, calmer winds and cloudy skies were a welcome
boost for crews stationed at several smaller fires, including a
30-acre fire near Nenana.
"We do have that one under control and are wrapping it up,"
Fairbanks area forester Marc Lee said Tuesday. "This time of year
as we get into early breakup the fuels from the winter are dry, and
those light, flashy fuels carry a fire well. They get away with the
wind."
Lee said eight fires, most of them human-caused, had been
reported.
"We're hoping that things slow down," he said.
The state has chartered two air tankers from Canada. One arrived
over the weekend and was immediately pressed into service.
The plane was heading to Homer on Sunday when it was diverted to
the Interior.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

NIKOLAI (AP) - A fire near the Interior village of Nikolai
swelled to more than 200 acres, drawing an enormous response from
firefighters, who quickly gained the upper hand, officials said
Sunday.
The fire was sparked Friday less than two miles from Nikolai, a
Kuskokwim River community east of McGrath. Fire managers were
hoping to contained the blaze by Sunday night, said Brett Ricker, a
fire information officer for the Alaska Division of Forestry.
Fire officials assigned planes, helicopters and smoke jumpers to
battle the fire. Two of the planes scooped water from nearby
Salmonberry Lake, dousing the blaze, which "put a big damper on
it" Saturday, Ricker said.
Mike Alexia, who lives in Nikolai, said Saturday that the wind
had been blowing the fire away from the village since it started.
Still, it got the attention of 120 or so people who live nearby.
"Everybody went to check it out and look at it," Alexia said.
"It was going pretty fast (Friday). ... It's all cooled down
today. There's hardly any smoke on it."
Two air tankers, one from the Matanuska-Susitna area and another
from Fairbanks, dropped retardant on the fire Friday, Ricker said.
Two forestry helicopters from McGrath helped with the suppression,
dropping buckets of water.
A team of smoke jumpers from Fairbanks fought the fire Friday,
along with a 14-person crew from Nikolai.
Ricker said the blaze, which started in a popular camping area,
is under investigation. It is not clear exactly how it started, she
said.
With the spread of the blaze arrested later Saturday, the smoke
jumpers and many of the aircraft were called off. One helicopter,
the fire crew from Nikolai and another ground crew from the Yukon
remained at the scene to monitor the fire, Ricker said.
---
Information from: Anchorage Daily News, http://www.adn.com

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

Fire near Fort Yukon doubles to 59,000 acres
By DAN JOLING
Associated Press Writer
ANCHORAGE (AP) - Strong wind more than doubled the size of a
forest fire outside Fort Yukon but the blaze remained north of the
Porcupine River, keeping the community out of immediate danger.
Fire officials said the Sheenjek River Fire fanned by winds to
30 mph grew from 23,500 acres early Saturday to 59,000 acres by
Saturday night.
Wind diminished somewhat Sunday but inclement weather in
Fairbanks kept airplanes grounded and no new assessment, said
information officer Tom Kempton.
Weekend rain that doused much of the state did not reach the
fire, Kempton said.
"We're in a pocket of the state that has not had any
precipitation," he said, a situation fire officials hope will
change.
However, the forecast calls for winds from the north, which
could push smoke and possibly the fire toward Fort Yukon, Kempton
said.
"We've been fortunate so far that the smoke has been above and
blown to the west," he said.
The fire at just 20 acres was first noticed by a fire jumper
crew returning from another fire on June 12.
By Friday, the fire had covered 15,000 acres and winds gusting
to 35 mph pushed that number to 23,500 by early Saturday.
Fort Yukon, a community of about 600, is at the confluence of
the Yukon and Porcupine rivers 145 miles northeast of Fairbanks.
The west flank of the fire remains eight miles from Fort Yukon,
Kempton said.
Helicopters dropped water loads Sunday but the bad weather kept
CL-15 fixed-wing scooper tankers from flying out of Fairbanks,
Kempton said.
Crews were busy trying to stop a westerly spread of the fire.
Others were working along the southern edge attempting to protect
Alaska Native land allotments and cabins, Kempton said.
About 250 firefighters are working on the fire out of Fort Yukon
and four spike camps. The farthest camp is two and a half hours
away by riverboat, Kempton said. A dozen riverboats shuttle crews
and move supplies to spike camps.
That made for a lot of river traffic Saturday as participants in
the Gwich'in Gathering, an annual meeting of people in Yukon River
villages, headed home. Some were traveling to Old Crow on the
Porcupine River. Kempton said there were no reports of problems in
river travel.
The Department of Transportation issued a travel advisory on the
Dalton Highway between Miles 125-135 Miles because of poor
visibility from smoke, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported.
So far retardant has not been used on the fire. Retardant is
banned on U.S. Fish and Wildlife lands, Kempton said, unless
there's a threat to structures or human life. The other problem, he
said, is that it must come from Fairbanks.
"The turnaround on that is pretty long," he said.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

APTV 06-19-05 2205EDT

[NJFFSA16]

By DAN JOLING
Associated Press Writer
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Fire crews were trying to contain a
59,000-acre blaze outside Fort Yukon Monday, helped by the absence
of the strong winds that more than doubled the size of the fire
over the weekend.
Winds calmed on Monday, helping the approximately 270
firefighters assigned to the fire. However, the weather remained
sunny and warm, said fire operations chief Rob Allen.
Hot, dry and smoky conditions were expected to continue, and
fire managers worried that predicted light ground winds could fuel
the blaze. They hoped to gain the upper hand by attacks from the
ground and air.
"It's a big day for us in terms of an air show," said fire
information officer Kris Eriksen.
Crews were planning to storm the area with helicopters and water
scooper aircraft while ground crews built a fire line toward an old
fire, Eriksen said.
Fire officials said the Sheenjek River Fire fanned by winds to
30 mph grew from 23,500 acres early Saturday to 59,000 acres by
Saturday night, but the blaze remained north of the Porcupine
River, keeping the community out of immediate danger.
Wind diminished somewhat Sunday but inclement weather in
Fairbanks kept airplanes grounded. Eriksen said the four CL-215s -
bright yellow water scoopers - were expected to arrive Monday.
Weekend rain that doused much of the state did not reach the
fire, said information officer Tom Kempton.
"We're in a pocket of the state that has not had any
precipitation," he said.
However, winds from the north pushed smoke into Fort Yukon early
Monday morning, Kempton said.
The fire at just 20 acres was first noticed by a fire jumper
crew returning from another fire on June 12.
By Friday, the fire had covered 15,000 acres and winds gusting
to 35 mph pushed that number to 23,500 by early Saturday.
Fort Yukon, a community of about 600, is at the confluence of
the Yukon and Porcupine rivers 145 miles northeast of Fairbanks.
The west flank of the fire remains eight miles from Fort Yukon,
Kempton said.
Helicopters dropped water loads Sunday and crews were busy
trying to stop a westerly spread of the fire. Others were working
along the southern edge attempting to protect Alaska Native land
allotments and cabins, Kempton said.
About 250 firefighters are working on the fire out of Fort Yukon
and four spike camps. The farthest camp is two and a half hours
away by riverboat, Kempton said. A dozen riverboats shuttle crews
and move supplies to spike camps.
That made for a lot of river traffic Saturday as participants in
the Gwich'in Gathering, an annual meeting of people in Yukon River
villages, headed home. Some were traveling to Old Crow on the
Porcupine River. Kempton said there were no reports of problems in
river travel.
The Department of Transportation issued a travel advisory on the
Dalton Highway between Miles 125-135 Miles because of poor
visibility from smoke, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported.
So far retardant has not been used on the fire. Retardant is
banned on U.S. Fish and Wildlife lands, Kempton said, unless
there's a threat to structures or human life. The other problem, he
said, is that it must come from Fairbanks.
"The turnaround on that is pretty long," he said.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

Dry, hot weather ignites big Alaska wildfire season
ANCHORAGE (Reuters) - Successive hot summers, vast
swaths of insect-weakened trees and lightning strikes have
combined to torch about 4 million acres
of forest in Alaska this summer, nearly tying the state's
third-largest fire season on record, federal and state
officials said Tuesday.
This summer's large wildfires come a year after more than
6.5 million acres burned last year, the
most since wildfire records have been kept in the past 56
years.
The two consecutive large fire seasons are unprecedented,
according to wildfire managers and forestry experts.
"It does not happen, until recently, that we have two large
back-to-back fire seasons," said Maggie Rogers, spokeswoman for
the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center, the consortium of
federal and state agencies that manage wild fires in Alaska.
Within a week, this year's total is expected to surpass the
1969 total of 4.017 million acres, the
third-largest on wildfire season on record, Rogers said.
The large reach of this year's fires may be one sign of a
major climate-driven change underway in Alaska's boreal forest,
said Glenn Juday, a professor of forest ecology at the
University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Alaska has warmed dramatically in past decades, and if the
warming trend continues, the trees in Alaska's boreal forest
could vanish over the next century, said Juday, who has been
studying the effects of global warming in the far north.
"They won't be able to grow at all. There won't be forest
anymore," he said. "It looks like we would make a transition
from forest to grassland."
One reason for the wildfires, scientists say, is rising
insect populations that kill trees, turning them into dry,
flammable fuel for raging wildfires.
REUTERS