Fire season has arrived with vigor in Alaska, prompting fire managers in the state to use the word “unprecedented” when describing the fire activity.
Here is an excerpt from an article in the Anchorage Daily News:
Faced with 95 active wildfires and lightning bolts by the hundreds, Alaska wildfire officials Tuesday called fire activity for the month of May “unprecedented” and warned that the risk of more wildfires is high and that their resistance to control is nearing extreme.
Thirteen of the fires were staffed with 1,467, firefighters, including some 900 people from the Lower 48, while others were burning unchecked in what has to date been an uncommonly hot and dry Alaska spring.
The fire activity Tuesday prompted the National Interagency Coordination Center to elevate Alaska to Preparedness Level IV, topping every other region in the country.
More than 2,000 lightning bolts snapped down on Alaska on Monday, with more lightning expected through the week, according to the interagency fire center.
Near McGrath, the Turquoise Lake fire was burning uncontrolled on [81,889] acres in a remote area. Last week it destroyed four cabins, the Farewell Lake Lodge and several outbuildings, and on Tuesday the fire was continuing to threaten 12 cabins in the vicinity, said Gary Lehnhausen, a spokesman for the state Division of Forestry.
“I know they went out there to do structure protection and the fire was some of the most extreme conditions that people around here had ever seen,” Lehnhausen said. “They basically had enough time to pick up the caretaker and leave before the fire overran the whole place.”
Crews on Monday attempted to drop a load of retardant on the holdover fire, but smoke was so dense they couldn’t see to drop it, he said.
Crews Tuesday concentrated on several high-profile fires that have consumed vast quantities of forest acreage. The largest among them was the Eagle Trail fire, burning 13,200 acres about a half mile south of Tanacross, which is staffed with more than 500 firefighters. Crews say it is 15 percent contained.
The word “unprecedented” is because it is early June. Anytime fires get this bad so early in the year, it is a good sign that it it will be much more dangerous than normal years, with many more large fires on their way no matter what the firefighters do.
My son is heading there as of yesterday to salmon Island I have no idea where that is >>>could you please tell me if the fires are close to there or ????
I wonder if unprecedented is a little exaggerated, especially considering that at one point last year there were 7 fires that burned more than 100,000 acres at the same time in Alaska.