Alaska

Cooler weather, rain help firefighters working on Western Alaska fires

Published

6 months ago

June 24, 2025

Cooler weather, rain help firefighters working on Western Alaska fires

The arrival of precipitation, coupled with continued cooler temperatures, helped firefighters working in Western Alaska on Monday.

The handful of fires that makeup the Roundabout Complex outside of Huslia remain the top priority for BLM AFS Galena Zone fire managers. None of the fires are immediately threatening communities at this time.

Firefighters contained the Billy Hawk Fire (#182) and the Billy Hawk 2 Fire (#191) on Monday. Both fires are in monitor status.

The remaining fires in the complex include:

The Moldy Fire (#279), which is still showing heat around the edges of the fire. The fire is unstaffed; however, fire managers are working on a plan to implement point protection for nearby allotments and cabins once resources become available. Satellite imagery puts the eastern edge of the fire about 8 miles from Huslia. Marshland, the Koyukuk River, and a previously burned area are between the fire and the community.

On the Richards Fire (#251), eight smokejumpers worked Monday around the eastern edge of the fire, connecting their fire lines to lakes to prevent the fire’s spread. Firefighters conducting mop up are working 100 feet in from the perimeter of the fire’s edge to ensure hotspots are eliminated and the line is secure. Smokejumpers also improved a temporary helicopter landing pad ahead of the planned arrival of a Type 1 hotshot crew. The fire is 20% contained.

The four smokejumpers assigned to the Caribou Fire (#128) received a para-cargo delivery of structure protection equipment Sunday night. They spent Monday setting up the sprinklers, hoses, and pumps to protect a mine site, historical mining equipment and other structures. A helicopter dropped water on hotspots along the fire’s edge to help slow its spread.

Other fires of interest:

The Nakochelik Fire (#306) is 100% contained. Smokejumpers are working their way 50 feet in from the perimeter to find any remaining hotspots, put them out and secure the line.

The Sardine Fire (#285) was reported shortly after 9:30 p.m. on June 20, and the Snowball Fire (#286) was reported about 9 a.m. the following day. Both fires were about 10 miles north of Council and both were caused by lightning. Fire managers wanted to respond to the Sardine Fire when it was reported, but were unable to do so due to the late hour and lack of available resources. Careful monitoring of both fires has shown no heat and no smoke over the past several days.

A wetter, cooler weather pattern is forecast for western Interior Alaska over the next few days with some areas expected to receive 1/2 inch of rain or more. There’s a chance of thunderstorms across the region, however, which could bring lightning.

-BLM-

Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Fire Service, P.O. Box 35005 1541 Gaffney Road, Fort Wainwright, Ak 99703

Need public domain imagery to complement news coverage of the BLM Alaska Fire Service in Alaska? Visit our Flickr channel!

Learn more at www.blm.gov/AlaskaFireService, and on Facebook and Twitter.

The Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service (AFS) located at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, provides wildland fire suppression services for over 240 million acres of Department of the Interior and Native Corporation Lands in Alaska. In addition, AFS has other statewide responsibilities that include: interpretation of fire management policy; oversight of the BLM Alaska Aviation program; fuels management projects; and operating and maintaining advanced communication and computer systems such as the Alaska Lightning Detection System. AFS also maintains a National Incident Support Cache. The Alaska Fire Service provides wildland fire suppression services for America’s “Last Frontier” on an interagency basis with the State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources, USDA Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Military in Alaska.

‹ Fewer new fires in the Interior as wetter weather moves in

Categories: Active Wildland Fire

Tags: 2025 Alaska Fire Season, Billy Hawk 2 Fire, Billy Hawk Fire, Caribou Fire, Galena Zone, Moldy Fire, Nakochelik Fire, Richards Fire, Roundabout Complex, Sardine Fire, Snowball Fire

Source link

Alaska

‘Alaska is a dangerous place’: How Whittier Harbor stays safe during the winter

Published

2 hours ago

December 10, 2025

Press Room

‘Alaska is a dangerous place’: How Whittier Harbor stays safe during the winter

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Winter season brings its risks in harbors across Alaska – including sinking boats, ice, and wind.

“Alaska is a dangerous place,” David Borg, Whittier Harbor Master said. “Here we have massive amount of wind and coming down here in the wintertime with icy docks and a lot of wind, it’s very easy for people to lose their footing.”

Borg also talked about something called SAD – which stand for ‘Sunk At Dock’.

“Boat sinking at the dock. We do have an issue with snow load here,” Borg said. “Best thing people can do … is that if you have a boat in the harbor, you have to have somebody local that can keep an eye on it.”

At Whittier Harbor, safety holds importance all year round.

“If I can make it a little bit safer here in the harbor – so you and your family can go out and boat and do those things that Alaska has to offer safely – then I’d like to try to push that message as best I can,” Borg said

Borg urges anyone who visits Alaska harbors in the winter to know the conditions, gear up properly, and always put safety first.

See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com

Source link

Alaska

Alaska Airlines launches new nonstop Seattle-to-London flight starting in 2026

Published

14 hours ago

December 9, 2025

Press Room

Alaska Airlines launches new nonstop Seattle-to-London flight starting in 2026

Alaska Airlines announced its newest nonstop flight out of Seattle: a straight shot to London.

Starting in May 2026, the nonstop flight will travel from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Heathrow Airport, the largest international airport in the United Kingdom. The airport resides in Hounslow, located an hour outside of London.

The daily service will operate on Alaska Airlines’ 787 Dreamliner.

London is Alaska Airlines’ fifth intercontinental destination, alongside Rome, Reykjavik, Tokyo, and Seoul. According to the airline, the new route strengthens business ties, with London being the largest corporate market from Seattle.

“By 2030, we plan to serve at least 12 intercontinental destinations from Seattle, with additional routes to be announced in the years to come,” Alaska Airlines stated. “We currently have four Boeing 787-9s in our fleet, with a fifth aircraft recently delivered.”

Guests traveling from the U.S. can now purchase airfares to London for as low as $699 round-trip at alaskaair.com.

Alaska Airlines hit hard by federal shutdown

According to aviation analysts, the federal shutdown cost Alaska Airlines millions of dollars. The airline’s fourth-quarter income is expected to fall by $32 million.

The company told investors it lost 15 cents per share. Flight cancellations at SEA and other airports lasted 43 days.

According to The Puget Sound Business Journal, Delta reports a $200 million hit. United, JetBlue, and Southwest could see losses, too.

Follow Frank Sumrall on X. Send news tips here.

Source link

Alaska

Warnings continue for wind, snow, and extreme cold across Alaska

Published

1 day ago

December 9, 2025

Press Room

Warnings continue for wind, snow, and extreme cold across Alaska

ANCHORAGE, AK (Alaska’s News Source) – Extreme wind has been non-stop for more than 60 hours in Wasilla in Palmer, where peak wind gusts have reached over 80 mph three days in a row.

Peak winds have been over 80 mph for the last three days in Palmer.(Melissa Frey)

Wind gusts at the Palmer Airport climbed over 50 mph Friday evening and didn’t drop below until late Monday evening.

Peak winds have been over 50 mph for more than 60 hours.(Melissa Frey)

The High Wind Warning for the Matanuska Valley will continue through 6 a.m. on Tuesday. Calmer conditions are likely on Tuesday afternoon as the winds relax across the area.

High Wind Warnings continue in the Mat-Su.(Melissa Frey)

Send us your weather photos and videos here!

The rest of Southcentral remains clear and dry, with temperatures likely dropping to the lowest levels of the season starting Tuesday morning. This pattern will continue through the end of the week.

Download the free Alaska’s News Source Weather App for the latest forecast in your area.

In Southeast, Winter Storm Warnings are still in effect near Ketchikan for up to 8″ of additional snow through Tuesday. Winter Weather Advisories are also in effect near Hyder for an additional 9-12″ of snow on Tuesday.

The snow has ended across the northern areas of Southeast, but extreme cold is setting in. Wind Chill values will reach as low as -50° near Skagway, to -25° near Haines, and to -15° near Juneau.

The Copper River Basin will also experience extreme wind chill values to -50° through Tuesday afternoon.

In the Interior, temperatures dropped to -30° for the first time Monday morning, and we’ll see several nights at that cold level this week.

24/7 Alaska Weather: Get access to live radar, satellite, weather cameras, current conditions, and the latest weather forecast here. Also available through the Alaska’s News Source streaming app available on Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV.

Source link