Photo Courtesy Sebastian Saarloos
Division of Forestry (DOF) fire personnel and fire departments had to react quickly to new fire starts on Friday, May 11, to catch them before they developed into larger incidents. Wind gusts up to 45 miles posed a major concern for the new starts in the Delta area. Mike Reggear, DOF, recalls, “it was also hard to identify where fires were due to blowing dust.” The fires started not only from debris burning, but from wind effects, such as a tree falling across a power line.
Photo Courtesy Sebastian Saarloos
The readiness to respond to fires was one of the points of success on Friday. The 27-acre Old Harbor Fire, roughly four miles east of Delta Junction, started in the mid-afternoon from an old burn pile left over from a land clearing project. It was reported to DOF by an employee that saw the column from the tanker base. Immediate response occurred; it was only 10 minutes from the report to actually having firefighters on scene. A dozer and other large equipment, a retardant tanker, and air attack added to the effort to contain the fire. The White Mountain fire crew was ordered from Fairbanks, two helicopters provided additional aerial support, and engines came from Tok, Copper River, and Fairbanks.
Due to high winds and pre-green up conditions, the fire spread very effectively through the hardwoods spruce understory. Dry grasses, leaves and other ground vegetation carried the fire as well. The winds and dry fuels are a dangerous combination, not necessarily uncommon to the Delta area. Let this be a reminder to all residents of the importance of safe burning practices. Anyone wishing to burn debris must obtain a burn permits (http://forestry.alaska.gov/burn). But the responsibility does not stop there. It is critical that the burn permit stipulations are followed, including calling 907-895-LITE before you burn to check for suspensions and other important information. Read the permit for more information about safe burning, and contact the Forestry office directly for more information.
Debris pile burns must be attended until they are fully out cold. High winds can easily bring to life a smoldering fire, even after several weeks. Stir piles up so that you can reveal any material that may still be burning. Because debris burns tend to be in close proximity to homes and other structures, they can pose a lot of immediate risk to people and values. It is important for home and property owners to adhere to Firewise principles. More guidance is available at: http://forestry.alaska.gov/pdfs/firewise09.pdf.
Photo Courtesy Sebastian Saarloos
Old Harbor was not the only fire that local fire departments and Forestry were responding to on that busy afternoon. Three fires and one false alarm required response. Resource sharing from other Forestry offices helped boost local forces. Fairbanks also got five new fires from trees falling on power lines. In situations where natural factors are involved in fire starts, such as wind causing power lines to blow over, or lightning strikes, it is even more important that people prevent human-caused fires. Our firefighting resources need to be available to respond to the less-preventable and predictable fires.
Please do your part to protect yourself and your community. Adhere to burn permit stipulations. Be cautious with anything that could start a fire; remember, it only takes a spark. And finally, protect yourself from encroaching fires, whatever the cause that starts them, by implementing Firewise principles.
Submitted by Maggie Rogers – Division of Forestry
Photos Courtesy Sebastian Saarloos
