The crews were instructed to join the fire jumpers who were working hard on the Deception Pupfire (#252) burns near Central and the Flasco Fire (#259) south of the circle.

Three well-trained and well-rehearsed hotshot teams arrived in Fairbanks from California on Wednesday. The Smith River Hotshots and Lassen Hotshots will make the 150-160 mile trip up the Steese Highway on Thursday to assist the paratroopers already on the ground fighting these two fires.

In addition, a Type 3 incident management team from Idaho is preparing to take over the fight against a number of fires in northeast Alaska, including the Deception Pup and Flasco fires.

The Deception Pup Fire, estimated to be 150 acres in size and burning near a cluster of Native American parcels and homes north of mile 124.5 of the Steese Highway, was Alaska's top priority Wednesday. The 21 paratroopers deployed laid a hose around half of the fire Tuesday to cool the edges with water. The fire calmed down early Wednesday morning, but was expected to flare up again as the day got hotter.

Parachutists reported that airdrops of water and fire retardant Tuesday night were effective in slowing the fire's spread. Water scoops and a helicopter continued their efforts Wednesday while parachutists continued to try to draw a line around the fire.

The Flasco Fire, just 30 miles away, threatens another group of Native American parcels and homes burning south of Circle. This fire is burning in heavy spruce timber, requiring significant sawing to build a fire line. Parachutists estimated the fire was 5% contained as of Wednesday morning. The 145 parachutists deployed will continue to build a fire line in hopes of containing the fire to a 7-acre area.

In both fires, fire engines and helicopters dropped water on the flames to cool them down.

The concern is the impending red flag conditions on Thursday in a region already plagued by persistent hot and dry conditions. Not only will Thursday's weather bring temperatures as high as 27 degrees and possibly as high as 32 degrees, but the region could also experience easterly winds and dry lightning. There is a chance of thunderstorms in the region on Thursday, which could bring gusty, erratic winds and the possibility of dry lightning. This could lead to the rapid spread of existing fires and dangerous new fires in Interior Alaska.

Other fires the Idaho team will fight include:

The Crazy Fire (#152) is approximately 329 acres in size and is burning in the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, approximately 46 miles north of the Steese Highway. It is in an area with limited management options and is being monitored. This lightning-caused fire was discovered on June 17.

The American Fire (#262) started Tuesday and is burning about 15 miles northeast of Mount Prindle and about 20 miles north of mile 77 Steese Highway. This lightning-caused fire is about 7 acres in size and is burning in an area with limited suppression capabilities. It is being monitored by the team.

The Ikheenjik Fire (#184) is burning on BLM-managed land nearly 12 miles southeast of Circle Hot Springs and 20 miles southeast of Central on the east side of the Ikheenjik River. This lightning-caused fire was discovered June 18 and estimated at 35 acres on Wednesday. It is burning in an area with limited management options and is being monitored.

-BLM-

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

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The Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service (AFS), headquartered in Fort Wainwright, Alaska, provides wildland firefighting services for over 240 million acres of Department of the Interior and Native Corporation lands in Alaska. In addition, AFS has other statewide responsibilities including: interpretation of fire protection policy; oversight of the BLM Alaska Aviation program; fuel management projects; and operation and maintenance of advanced communications and computer 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, USDA Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Military in Alaska.

Categories: Active Wildfires, BLM Alaska Fire Service

Keywords: American Fire, Central and County Cluster Fires, Crazy Fire, Deception Pup, Flasco Fire, Ikheenjik Fire