Wildfires

Wildfires - Alaska, USA

Forty-seven new wildfires were sparked around Alaska on Sunday, pushing the solstice weekend total to 152.

Interior Alaska received a large portion of Sunday’s new fires — leading to burned structures, evacuations, a thick haze and air-quality advisories. An estimated 25 fires are active within 100 miles of Fairbanks.

Roughly eight miles southwest of the town of Anderson, the Rex Complex Fire has burned six houses and two minor structures and led to the evacuation of 25 residents. Rex Complex is comprised of two lightning-caused fires — the 5,000-acre Kobe Fire and 1,000-acre Fish Creek Fire.

The lightning-caused Nulato River Fire started about 5 p.m. Sunday, quickly grew to 75 acres and now threatens village infrastructure.

The roughly 600-acre Anaconda Creek Fire, about eight miles north of 24 Mile Chena Hot Springs Road, is being closely watched by the AICC. An air tanker is on the scene and structure protection is being performed.

The 10,000-acre Healy Lake Fire continues to burn near the Tanana River, but hasn’t changed much in the last few days, Capps said. The fire was discovered June 16.

Long Lake Fire — The 9,000-acre lightning-caused fire, two miles southeast of Northway, started Saturday afternoon. The fire currently is traveling away from the village. Moose Creek Fire was consumed by, and combined with, Long Lake Fire.

Chisana River Fire — Thirty miles south of the Long Lake Fire is the 33,805-acre Chisana River Fire, now the largest in the state. The fire has been burning 16 miles south of the Alaska Highway and 18 miles from the Canadian border since a June 9 lightning strike. Several cabins are threatened.

Tanana Slough Fire — 128 personnel are assigned to the 745-acre fire southeast of Fairbanks.

Nenana Ridge — Discovered on Saturday, the 500-acre fire in continuous black spruce has four personnel assigned to it.

Chitanana River Fire — The lightning-caused 800-acre fire is in monitor status. Iron Fire — Inside Denali National Park and Preserve, the fire encompasses 1,500 acres and had multiple starts or is spotting. The black spruce and tundra fire is in a monitor status.

Birch Creek — The fire northeast of Fairbanks spans 10,700 acres and is in monitor status.

Wildfires - Oregon, USA

Crews are trying to contain a wildfire burning south of the Succor Creek State Natural Area in Eastern Oregon. The Bureau of Land Management said Monday the 175-acre blaze was spotted the night before by an aircraft returning from a wildfire in Idaho. The cause of the wildfire has yet to be determined and there’s no estimate for when it might be contained.

Elsewhere, crews in southwest Oregon used a controlled burning operation to make progress on the nearly 5,000-acre Buckskin fire.

Wildfires, New Mexico, USA

Several fires are burning in the Gila National Forest, all of which were started by lightning strike this week. Three of the five are burning less than 400 acres, but officials did not say whether they were the three being used to achieve resource objectives.

The largest, the Pinon Fire, is burning 3,100 acres and is in Cox Canyon, east of Forest Road 94. It is moving in a northeasterly direction at a low to moderate pace.

The second-largest, the Moore Fire, is burning 1,700 acres on the Tom Moore Mesa in the Gila Wilderness.