Forestry Division sends smokejumpers back to base, brings in more crews to battle 550-acre Starry Fire
Firefighters continued to battle a lightning-caused fire Monday that’s burning in a forested area between the community of Anderson and a missile-defense installation 5 miles to the south.
An evacuation order remains in effect for the Parks Highway community, but only a few residents have left their homes.
The state Division of Forestry and Fire Protection estimated the Starry Fire has burned about 550 acres since it was reported Saturday night burning in an area about a mile and a half south of Anderson and about 3 miles north of Clear Space Force Station.
According to the Forestry Division, firefighters are extinguishing hotspots and laying more firehose. Bulldozer operators have cut a line through forested areas that almost encircles the fire.
The Starry Fire and dozens of other fires were ignited over the weekend by thunderstorms from the west that rolled through the Interior over the weekend. The federal Wildland Fire Service estimated 13,737 lightning strikes statewide since Friday.
Forestry Division spokesperson Terry Solomon said those storms didn’t bring much rain as they passed through the Anderson area, located about 80 miles south of Fairbanks on the Parks Highway. But fire managers are hopeful their luck will improve on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“ We're expecting some precipitation tomorrow and more rain within the next 48 hours,” she said. “ As long as the lightning's accompanied by a lot of rain, that's helpful to us.”
Anderson remains under an evacuation order issued Saturday evening. But Denali Borough Emergency Manager Forest Shreeve said only a few people have sheltered at Tri-Valley School in Healy, as advised by the evacuation order.
“The total count that we've been able to account for is about 13 people, although there were likely more that evacuated,” he said. “Only one person actually ended up using the shelter, for one night.”
Shreeve says that’s not unusual for Anderson, which he said has an estimated population of 125.
“ That's the history of our fire situations around here,” he said, “when folks are in need, they don't re-necessarily reach straight out to the government. They look to friends, neighbors, and family, in general.”
Solomon said Monday that the Forestry Division sent several smokejumpers back to base Sunday night. But the agency is bringing in two more crews in to fight the fire, bringing the total number of fire crews working on the fire to five.
“ The Pioneer Peak Hotshots and the Midnight Sun Hotshot crew and the Fairbanks 1 Crew are still here,” she said, “and then we're expecting two to arrive today, the Mooseheart and Clearwater crews.”
She said more water-scooping aircraft and helicopters were expected to arrive Monday.
Meanwhile, fire managers working on the 36-acre Granite Fire east of Delta Junction say they’re making “excellent progress.”
A post on the AKFIREinfo website says crews working on the fire 17 miles east of Delta have reached 80% containment of the fire that’s burning the agricultural area near Clearwater Creek.
Three crew are working on the Granite Fire, along with a helicopter equipped with a large bucket used to scoop water and dump it on the fire.
Two other fires were reported Sunday in the Delta area. The 74-acre Shaw Fire is burning on the Pogo Mine Road, about 25 miles north of town. Farther to the west, the Pogo Fire is burning near the south fork of the Salcha River.
The Forestry Division web post says rainfall has been dousing both fires since Sunday. It said Neither of them present a threat to any cabins or other structures in the area.
