Lincoln-based USFS fire crew fights major Alaska fire

Ten firefighters based at the Lincoln Ranger District deployed to Alaska last week to help combat a major wildfire on the Kenai Peninsula.

The Helena Type 2 Incident Attack crew is battling the 100,000-acre plus Swan Lake Fire near Sterling, Alaska, Jarel Kurtz, the district's Fire Management Officer, told the BVD.

The Helena Hotshots crew out of the Helena office has also been sent to Alaska.

According to the National Interagency Fire Center, 1.2 million acres have burned in Alaska this year.

Alaska has seen a historically warm and dry year, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reporting the second warmest June on record and a statewide average temperature for the year nearly 8 degrees Fahrenheit above average.

Kurtz said the crew's deployment won't affect district readiness, should a fire start locally.

"We follow our drawdown plan and we're meeting our staffing level for the fire danger we're at. And we're meeting it pretty easily.

Recent rains have improved conditions in the area somewhat.

"We were really dry the month of June. Typically we average about two-and-a-half inches of rain or more, looking at our ten year average," Kurtz said. "At the end of June we were at less than half an inch. But since then July has been pretty wet for us. Every other afternoon we've gotten a decent rain. July has been wetter for us than June, which is not typical.

Nevertheless, he said fire danger in the Lincoln area remains high since conditions fluctuate from day to day and the forecast is trending toward dryer conditions.

The recent rains have also brought lightning, which poses a significant threat to areas littered with dead and downed trees killed by insect infestations in the last decade.

"We did pick up one small fire from lightning (on Clear Creek) that we put out," Kurtz said. "Nobody ever realizes the ones we put out. We put out quite a few fires, actually."