Alaska Wildfires - pamelajoy.com

From the Interior Alaska Newsletter

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I N T E R I O R A L A S K A by ~ Pamela Joy ~ Alaska Living! Wow! This is so cool! Volume 4 No. 5 | July 2004 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Interior-Alaska/ Privacy Policy: Our subscriber list is confidential and we respect your privacy. Subscription and unsubscription information can be found at the end of this issue. ======================================================= I N - T H I S - I S S U E: ======================================================= [ Welcome ] [ Feature: Alaskan Wildfires ] [ Wildfire Links ] [ Contact Details ] [ Subscribe/unsubscribe ] ======================================================= T H I S M O N T H ' S I S S U E ======================================================= was inspired by the forces of nature that can bring humans to their knees. In spite of all the hard work of the firefighters, in the end the rain is what extinguishes the fire. ======================================================= W E L C O M E T O I N T E R I O R A L A S K A ======================================================= Welcome to the Interior Alaska Newsletter to all the new subscribers, as well as those of you who signed up for previous issues. The interior of Alaska includes Fairbanks, Denali Park, and many other small communities which will be high- lighted in future issues. ======================================================= A L A S K A N W I L D F I R E S ======================================================= Wildfires can burn thousands of acres in Interior Alaska without making the national news. Lightning strikes cause remote fires all over the state. Often the flames are left to burn themselves out because they do not threaten life or property. However, this summer Alaska experienced the second largest fire season since 1950. Last summer 600,000 acres burned. So far this year more than 4.5 million (4,500,000) acres have burned, mostly in the Alaskan Interior. When you looked up into the sky, the sun was an indistinct orb in a murky haze. At times the smoke was so thick in Fairbanks, you could barely see from one traffic light to the next. People with respiratory problems and pregnant women were warned to stay inside. Many people wore masks when outdoors to filter out some of the ash. Outside temperatures were in the 80s and 90s. Few homes in Fairbanks have air conditioning; so inside our house was like an oven because we couldn't open the windows. Fan sales soared, and often you couldn't find one anywhere. We bought two fans in Wasilla on our way back from our vacation in Anchorage. ---------------- Evacuation ---------------- The Boundary fire came near enough to Fairbanks to make me consider what I valued enough to save if I had to evacuate from my home. Many people did evacuate. For instance the Haystack subdivision north of Fairbanks, 80 homes and 150 people, had to evacuate twice. This is not a small residential area like you picture in a city. These homes spread out over a large area. Many people own dog teams and horses. The areas around Fairbanks threatened most by the fire have one road in and one road out. Those in charge of fire safety didn't want to wait until the last minute to alert the public, but on the other hand they didn't want to prematurely issue evacuation orders. West Valley High School was set up as an evacuation center for those who had to leave their homes. It was also a rest stop for people who needed a cool place with filtered air to breathe. During the second wave of evacuation orders another school was set up for evacuees. Since outside sports activities were canceled because of the heavy smoke, one of the baseball fields was set up to receive evacuated pets, dog teams, and livestock. On the Yukon-B.C. border, the Cole River fire forced 19 people to evacuate their homes during the last weekend of June. At times the Alaska Highway had to be shut down by the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police). ---------------- Family Vacation ---------------- In the middle of this crisis, our family had a trip to Anchorage planned. The radio was filled with evacuation information. The television news reported the latest updates. A sense of urgency filled the air. I wondered if our house would be threatened. We live north of Fairbanks about 5 miles off the Steese Highway. The Boundary fire got as close as 20 miles from Fairbanks. If the wind shifted toward our house, we could easily be in the path of the fire. I packed for our vacation knowing that the possibility existed that our house wouldn't be there when we got back. Before we left, I made some CDs of my digital photos and backed up some data from my computer. I considered taking my hard drive with me but nixed that idea. I took my jewelry and a favorite Bible. I looked around the rooms as if to say, "goodbye" to the rest of the material things in my life. It was a liberating experience. As we drove to Anchorage, the smoke from the fire followed us. Even as far south as Wasilla, the sky was smoky. ---------------- Outside Help ---------------- Hundreds of firefighters came from the lower 48 states to help. A peak of 3,000 men and women were fighting the fires just last week. Now that cooler temperatures and rain showers have weakened the strength of the fires, many are being sent to higher priority fires. Those still manning the Interior fires must keep diligent, though, because a few dry days could cause the remaining fires to flare up again. ---------------- Disaster Area ---------------- The Alaska Gateway Regional Educational Attendance Area (REAA), Fairbanks North Star Borough and the contiguous REAAs of Copper River, Delta/Greely, Yukon Flats, Yukon-Koyukuk and Denali Borough have been declared disaster areas. The Small Business Administration can now offer Economic Injury Disaster Loans to cover working capital needs for small, non-farm businesses to help these areas recover from the economic loss caused by the fires. Property damage is not eligible for loans. ---------------- Statistics ---------------- The Boundary fire burned 503,362 acres as of June 29 with 562 personnel and 30% containment. Seven firefighters were injured, but there was no loss of life from the fire. Structures lost: 5 residences, 1 commercial structure, and 9 outbuildings. Cost to Date: $14,900,000. Camp Creek Fire as of July 30 has burned 150,237 acres and is 85% contained. Taylor Complex fire as of July 28 has burned 865,430 acres and is 15% contained. The Taylor Complex includes: Porcupine - 231,415; Gardiner Creek - 73,353; Billy Creek - 165,499; Chicken - 395,163. Six structures were lost in the Chicken complex fire. Cost to Date: $5,116,645. ---------------- Outcome ---------------- In spite of the cost in dollars, property, and our nerves, in the long run, wildfires in Alaska are good for the environment. Areas of old growth black spruce are cleared, and new plants and trees can grow. Wildlife has fresh areas to forage, and the cycle of life begins anew. Oh, and by the way, our house was there when we got home. Thanks to the hardworking crews, the fire never got any closer than 20 miles to Fairbanks. ======================================================= W I L D F I R E L I N K S ======================================================= Alaska Fire Service (Maps) http://fire.ak.blm.gov/ National Interagency Fire Center Summary of Fires http://www.wildfires.nifc.gov/alaska/index.php Boundary Fire, Maps, Incident Reports http://pnw3.com/boundary/index.html Alaska Science Forum http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ Fighting Fire with Fire http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF13/1394.html The Hazy Days of Alaska's Summer http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF14/1452a.html Fire and Ice http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF4/420.html U.S. Fish and Wildlife Management Fire Service http://alaska.fws.gov/fire/default.cfm Small Business Administration http://www.sba.gov/disaster_recov/ http://www.sba.gov/gopher/Disnews/disnak.html State of Alaska Division of Forestry http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/forestry/fire/current.htm Fires force RCMP to close Alaska Highway (photo) http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040628.wfires10628/BNStory /National/ Fairbanks Daily News Miner http://www.newsminer.com/ ======================================================= C O N T A C T ======================================================= * _..-.._ * Pamela Joy * .'_/ _ \_'. /_ _| __|_ _\___ * | _ |_ _| _ | /\ jgs |___|___J___|__\/ http://pamelajoy.com/contact.php ======================================================= S U B S C R I B E / U N S U B S C R I B E ======================================================= List-Subscribe: Interior-Alaska-subscribe@yahoogroups.com List-Unsubscribe: Interior-Alaska-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com ="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="= Thanks for reading :-) Remember to visit us online: http://www.pamelajoy.com/ ="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="= This newsletter is a free service of pamelajoy.com and Yahoo Groups http://groups.yahoo.com/ Copyright � 2004 Pamela Joy. 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