(FAIRBANKS, Alaska) — North Star paratroopers and fire crews are working a small fire burning about 11 miles north of Beaver. He Ed Berg Slough Fire (#111) It was reported by a commercial pilot on Wednesday afternoon. Eight paratroopers were deployed soon after and reported that the fire was burning in a mix of hardwoods and spruce, tundra and brush within the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, about 114 miles north of Fairbanks. It is estimated that it burned just under 3 acres.
The North Star fire crew, the BLM’s Alaska Fire Service training team, mobilized to the fire Thursday afternoon and was busy trying to place a fire line around the perimeter to help prevent it from growing. . Once completed, firefighters will begin mopping up, meaning they will look for hot spots to extinguish. The goal is to completely extinguish all critical points and put out the fire.
It is located less than half a mile from an area that has been identified as containing Yedoma permafrost, a specific type of carbon-rich permafrost and ice formed during the Ice Age. In 2023, 1.6 million acres of the refuge moved from a limited to a modified management option to provide some protection to Yedoma permafrost. These management options drive the initial response, but still allow flexibility as fires develop and are assessed, so that subsequent decisions on strategy and resource allocation are made based on the current situation, regardless of the management option. The modified option will generate a suppression response early in the season, while the limited option is designed to allow the fire to function in its natural ecological role.
The Ed Berg Slough Fire also provides a good training opportunity for North Star’s fire crew to gain experience to prepare for the remainder of the fire season.
It is one of two fires staffed and one of 25 active fires in Alaska. Friday, 109 fires have burned 6,759 acres this year. This is expected to increase with red flag conditions across much of central and interior Alaska this weekend. Yukon Flats, which is also within the red flag area, has already experienced several days of hot, dry weather and even some windy days. BLM AFS will have several flights scheduled to spot new fires over the weekend.
People living in Fort Yukon may have noticed activity at the BLM AFS fire station in the Yukon River community. A helicopter and a handful of personnel are operating from the turnkey station in support of this fire and possibly more in the Yukon Flats area due to the forecasted hot and dry conditions.
To help firefighters, be careful while enjoying the good weather. Take precautions to avoid starting a fire. Adhere to Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection burning permit suspensions in Interior Alaska. Please note that cooking and heating fires are still permitted, but extreme caution should be used due to the high potential for wildfires. Never leave a fire unattended and make sure it is completely cool to the touch before leaving.
Contact BLM AFS Public Affairs Specialist Beth Ipsen at (907) 356-5510 or eipsen@blm.gov for more information.
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Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Fire Service, PO Box 35005 1541 Gaffney Road, Fort Wainwright, Ak 99703
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The Alaska Fire Service (AFS) Bureau of Land Management, located in Fort Wainwright, Alaska, provides wildland firefighting services on more than 240 million acres of Department of the Interior and Native Corporation lands in Alaska. Additionally, AFS has other responsibilities at the state level including: interpretation of fire management policy; oversight of the BLM Alaska Aviation program; fuel management projects; and operate and maintain advanced computing and communications 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, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Army in Alaska.
‹ Red flag warning, burn permit suspension for Fairbanks, Delta and Tok
Categories: Active Wildfires, AK Fire Information, BLM Alaska Fire Service
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