As Alaska moves into its end-of-summer rain pattern, wildland fire activity across the state has moderated. But in the Lower 48, the fire season remains in full swing, with the National Preparedness Level moved to five, the highest
level of planning and organizing of resources, in reaction to increasing fire
danger.
In a media release, the Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service (AFS) reported five Type-2 emergency firefighting crews departed last week from the base on Ladd Army Airfield at Fort Wainwright.
Coming from Chevak, Fort Yukon, St. Michael and Kaltag, they were sent to the Northern Rockies Coordination Center in Missoula, Montana, for possible assignments in Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.
Another six Alaska crews were already down south. The Type-1 Chena interagency hotshots are assigned to a fire in Wyoming, while the Tanana Chiefs, Gannett Glacier, Yukon, White Mountain and U.S. Forest Service Region 10 Type-2 initial attack crews have been staged in Northern California.
“We sent out another four crews this morning, and we’re scheduled to send out another five on Wednesday,” explained AFS spokesperson Tim Mowry on Monday. Crews consist of 20 personnel apiece, and he estimated that, in a typical year, AFS will send 15 to 20 crews to the Lower 48.
As fire danger increases in the western states, more crews will be requested from Alaska. If conditions continue, Mowry said five more crews may be sent out later in the week.
An additional 143 Alaskan personnel are aiding suppression efforts in California, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming. Alaska has also released three state‐contracted retardant tankers and several air attack platforms and helicopters, all with their crews and support personnel, to areas Outside.
Firefighters from Alaska answering the call for assistance themselves received aid with the state’s own firefighting effort across the Interior through most of last month. At its worst point, more than 2,500 firefighters from across the United States and Canada poured into the Last Frontier to aid in that effort.
As of last week, there were still 204 active fires in the state. In all, Alaska Interagency Coordination Center on Monday reported 747 fires have affected over 5.1 million acres across the state so far this year. Nationally, the National Interagency Fire Center reported nearly 41,000 fires across the rest of the country have burned over 7 million acres.
While most of the damage in Alaska has been sustained in the Talana, Galena and Southwest areas, the Tongass has come off relatively unscathed this summer, with 14 fires affecting only 4.2 acres.
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