A wildfire was sparked by lightning on June 9, 2015, around 1537 hours in the Wrangell-St Elias National Park Reserve in Alaska.  The fire is located 25 miles West of Beaver Creek in the Yukon.

Aerial photo of fire torching while making a run under windy conditions
Photo taken on June 11, 2015, is shown in this #FireImage how it is a wind-driven fire. [Photo Courtesy: @inciweb]
A single helicopter has been assigned to this event assisting with the following activities:

  • Reconnaissance
  • Mapping
  • Transports to the ICP

Fire Managers will allow the fire to continue to burn as this is a nature’s way of expelling hazard and fuels, allowing the environment to repopulate, returning to its healthy environmental state.  However, fire crews are implementing structure protection on permitted cabins in the area.

June 9 Detection Flight
This photo was taken on June 9, 2015, during a Detection Flight. [Photo Courtesy: @inciweb]
Tonight’s objectives include:

  • Structure protection
  • Reconnaissance missions
  • Weather station maintenance
  • Monitoring growth & direction of fire growth

The fire is now at 8550 acres but is expected to increase to an additional 2000 to 2500 acres in the next two days.  It is burning Black Spruce and tundra.

Expected containment is September 1, 2015.

[c] 2015 The NW Fire Blog