Clear skies and warming temperatures Tuesday increased fire activity on the Lost Horse Creek Fire (#296) south of Washington Creek, 3.5 miles east of Mile 18 Elliot Highway. Both retardant tankers, two Super Scoopers, and Fire Bosses along with aerial supervision were dispatched and worked into the evening to moderate the fire’s activity and slow its growth.
Wednesday morning retardant tankers were ordered first thing to box the fire in with retardant allowing firefighters time to engage. Fire activity picked up in the afternoon. Three Fire Bosses, and retardant tankers worked through the afternoon. Division of Forestry & Fire Protection firefighters and engines responded to the Haystack subdivision, 3.5 miles south of the fire, to begin accessing structure protection.
The Fairbanks North Star Borough placed many areas around the borough into Ready Status for evacuation before the weekend, the Haystack subdivision is among them. Residents should be ready for potential evacuation. Families with members with special needs; mobile property such as boats, trailers and ATVs, along with pets and livestock need to enact their plan for moving to a safer area. Residents should monitor social media, news reports and radio for information.
Categories: Active Wildland Fire, Alaska DNR – Division of Forestry (DOF)