Hot weather escalates fire behavior, produces smoke in Interior Alaska

PHOTO: The T’eedriinjik Fire (#380) near Venetie more than tripled in size after exhibiting extreme fire behavior Wednesday night. Firefighters reported the fire was running and torching, with new fires starting outside the main fire perimeter, prompting mobilization of water-scooping aircraft and 12 smokejumpers. While airplanes and a helicopter dropped water on the flames, firefighters were working to get a saw line and hose around the fire to start cooling down the edges. Firefighters estimated 17.5 acres of new growth Wednesday, adding to the 5 acres they were mopping up. The fire is near a double-track trail 2 miles northwest of the community. The BLM Alaska Fire Service North Star Fire Crew, a type 2 crew that trains to hotshot standards, is mobilizing to the fire.
Alaska Wildland Fire Information

Unalaska Fire Department recognized for service, stresses need for volunteers

The City of Unalaska honored the city’s firefighters during an Unalaska City Council meeting. Mayor Vincent Tutiakoff Sr. commended the department for responding to several recent emergencies, including a fire at Eagle's View Elementary School on July 3, just before the Independence Day fireworks celebration. “The very firefighters who had spent countless hours to build and wire the fireworks display answered the call to action at the school without hesitation, prioritizing the safety of our residents while missing the display they worked so hard to build,” Tutiakoff said. The firefighters worked into the early morning to extinguish the fire and then spent the next day preparing their vehicles for the Fourth of July parade. “Even after a night of service that stretched into the early morning hours of July 4, these dedicated firefighters showed up to wash fire trucks in preparation for the community parade and wowed the crowd,” Tutiakoff said.
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