At least two wildfires happening in Alaska today (5/19/2014)

peninsulaclarion.com...

Not much to add except that I believe I am looking at the giant plume of smoke from far away safely behind my living room window, and that I have never seen anything quite like this before.
At first I thought I was looking at a huge cloud and I said to my wife, "hey, look at that nuclear explosion". Just kidding around, that was when she informed me of the wildfire.

Wildfire threatens Tyonek Posted: May 19, 2014 - 6:48pm | Updated: May 19, 2014 - 7:41pm By DAN BALMER Peninsula Clarion This story was updated with new information at 7:30 p.m. A 5-acre wildfire near the Village of Tyonek has grown to 80-acres as of 7:15 p.m.

The blaze fueled by high winds is currently moving toward the Village of Tyonek, which is located on the west side of Cook Inlet. Multiple fire agencies on scene hoping to slow the fire down. Andy Alexandrou, public information officer with the Division of Forestry, Kenai office, said the fire could potentially reach the village, but some natural breaks and sloughs between the fire and the village help to slow the fire down.

Sam Harrel, information officer with the Division of Forestry said smoke jumpers and two retardant tankers are working the fire, which is being handled by the Mat-Su Division of Forestry. The Midnight Sun Hotshot Crew is also on scene and the Pioneer Peak Interagency Hotshot Crew out of Palmer is en route, Harrel said.

Ten Nikiski firefighters and eight firefighters from the Beluga volunteer department, along with residents of the village are working on the ground with a bulldozer and two fire engines, according to an email from Nikiksi Fire Chief James Baisden. Harrel said the fire started near the north end of the Tyonek Airport runway with the call reported at about 2:45 p.m. Wind gusts of 25 mph caused the fire to spread and spot over the Chutina River.

The blaze was within about 5 miles of the 200-person village, when it began. It has grown since then, but Harrel was unable to specify by how much at 7:20 p.m. Harrel said the tankers have dropped retardant flames in front of the fire to encourage the fire not to spread. “The winds are strong and affect the direction of the fire,” Harrel said. “The winds are blowing out and the village is being threatened.”

Students from the school in Tyonek were evacuated before school was released around 3 p.m., said Pam Howard, a school nurse who flew to the Kenai Municipal Airport from Tyonek. She said the power went out and shortly after fire crews advised the school to evacuate. “This afternoon we go word there was a fire across the river by the airport,” she said. “It was close to the time I was going to fly back so I was concerned about the smoke; whether I would be able to leave.

I was concerned about the high winds today.” Howard, who said school nurses are assigned only seven days a semester in Tyonek, said this was her fourth trip this year. She said the Tyonek School had scheduled their graduation tonight but she expected it to be cancelled. She said teachers and able-bodied students were asked to help fight the fire.

“The fire is getting close to the subdivision and residents were very concerned and hoping the planes would arrive with water,” she said. “Residents are concerned about some villagers who cannot walk (well). Baisden reminds locals the burn suspension in effect, and no open burning is allowed. The Clarion will have more information as the story develops. Reach Dan Balmer at [email protected]

Hopefully the people immediately effected will be ok, and hopefully this turns out to be less of an event then I'm making it out to be.

To me it seems like the whole world is going crazy and before we know it the madness will be at all of our front doors.

Apparently the smoke I'm looking at is probably coming from this fire,

peninsulaclarion.com...

Fire grows near Funny River Road Posted: May 19, 2014 - 7:48pm | Updated: May 19, 2014 - 8:23pm By Staff Report Peninsula Clarion Crews are currently battling an 80-acre blaze near the Funny River Road Horse Trail, located at Mile 7 of Funny River Road, as of Monday evening.

Firefighters from the Kenai area Division of Forestry and the Chena Interagency Hotshot crew are working the fire. Sam Harrel, Division of Forestry spokesperson, said the Gannett Glacier Fire Crew out of Palmer is en route. The fire, which is moving south toward Tustumena Lake, was reported at 4:15 p.m. Monday. As of 7:15 p.m., Harrel said no structures are at risk.

Due to the fire’s close proximity to the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge water, instead of retardant is being used to fight the fire, Harrel said. He said at least one helicopter is dumping water on scene. He is uncertain of how many ground units have responded because resources are moving between the Funny River fire and another fire near Tyonek on the west side of Cook Inlet.

Two big fires on the same day I guess, the smoke is getting gnarlier that's for sure.

a reply to: GoShredAK

Two big fires on the same day I guess, the smoke is getting gnarlier that's for sure.

Umm, is the smoke blowing your direction?

a reply to: intrptr

Well, kind of, so far It's perfectly clear, but the wind and that plume do seem to be moving in this general direction. super windy out too, has been all day.

I don't think this area is any danger though.

Funny river road is about forty miles from my current location so this is getting somewhat interesting.

There are some niiice homes back that way, I wonder how serious this truly is?

Now the funny river fire has grown to 1000 acres.

radiokenai.net...

11pm Update The Funny River Fire currently has a crew of around 70 fire fighters battling a blaze estimated at over 1,000 acres. The Division of Forestry says no structures appear to be threatened. The Village of Tyonek has been evacuated, with roughly 150 residents fleeing their homes. That fire is now believed to be around 200 acres. Most residents are taking shelter in a camp on the beach, though some elders were flown to Anchorage or Kenai.

www.kbbi.org...

A pair of large wildfires have blazed through hundreds of acres in Soldotna and Tyonek. As of 10 p.m. tonight, a fire located near Funny River Road near Soldotna had burned more than 900 acres. Alaska Division of Forestry Spokesperson Andy Alexandrou said more than 50 firefighters were on the scene, with more crews on the way to help contain the blaze. Crews were aided by two bulldozers and a pair of helicopters that were dropping water on the fire.

The fire caused a large plume of smoke visible throughout the central Kenai Peninsula area and a layer of haze all the way south to Kachemak Bay.

Alexandrou said that no structures were believed to be damaged by the fire. He said the cause was unknown but firefighters suspected it may have been human-caused, as the area is a popular recreation spot.

At the same time, Alexandrou said a wildfire on the west side of Cook Inlet near the village of Tyonek had burned more than 200 acres tonight, forcing an evacuation of Tyonek. That fire is being handled by the Palmer Forestry office.

Due to dry conditions, warm temperatures and low humidity, the Kenai Peninsula has been under a burn suspension since last week. Fire danger around the entire peninsula is extremely high.

a reply to: GoShredAK
If you guys are having wildfires, then forget moving to Arizona. We can't get out of our mortage,and its only to get hotter.


hELP

a reply to: GoShredAK

Well, kind of, so far It's perfectly clear, but the wind and that plume do seem to be moving in this general direction. super windy out too, has been all day.

A new day and I hope the wind has died down some. As well as the fire. Alsaka burning… down here in the states we have this impression that snow can't burn.

a reply to: intrptr

Well this morning the wind has died down a bit but it sounds like the fires are spreading. The funny river fire is sad to be up to 2,500 acres and seven miles long. While the tyonek fire is still threatening as well.

As of 7:45am… The Funny River fire which has been burning since around 4:30pm Monday has now spread to about 2,500 acres. Central Emergency Services crews were sent home last night, with reports of fresh crews flying in from around the state. The fire is 100 percent active and zero percent contained, but local fire fighters said the area was “extreme wilderness,” so there is little danger to residents or structures.

radiokenai.net...

And actually we've had an incredibly hot start to the summer. For the most part, Temps have been in the 70s and 80s the past couple of weeks here in Kenai.

Worlds turnin upside down or something

originally posted by: Kratos40
a reply to: GoShredAK
If you guys are having wildfires, then forget moving to Arizona. We can't get out of our mortage,and its only to get hotter.


hELP

Good lord no. I've spent a day in Pheonix and it seriously freaked me out how hot it was!

I felt like if I didn't have ac and water immediately accessible I was going to die in a short matter of time lol.

Not seeing anything this morning, visibility is actually pretty good. I can see Mt. Redoubt in the distance. Mt. McKinley is also out and visible.

Not seeing anything this morning, visibility is actually pretty good. I can see Mt. Redoubt in the distance. Mt. McKinley is also out and visible.

Same here, however if your looking directly at Redoubt and the inlet from Kenai, and then you look over to the left you can still see the large plume of smoke in the distance.

Other than that it looks like we've got another beautiful sunny day ahead..

Also, Sorry, Im terrible at my sense of direction and geography all know is the smoke is to my left......

Dbl post

It's burning fast. I can also see the smoke plume from my windows. It's only a few miles away from our house, but luckily the winds are pushing it into uninhabited land at the moment. They are saying it is headed toward East End road in Homer. Thankfully the winds have died down a bit, but that also takes away the hard push away from my house.

I'm hoping for the best on this one. It's good to burn out the dead growth from time to time, but this is a little close for comfort. I lived through the Big Lake fire in the 90's and I really hope they are able to get it under control.

I will post more if things change much. Thanks for tossing this up here GoShred!

Mystik, it's burning inland toward caribou hills. With the prevailing winds I doubt you see much if you aren't on the peninsula. Chances are if you do see it, it's turned itself and we will be in the line of fire. I really hope you don't get to see the smoke.

a reply to: woodsmom

I figured...

I hope it gets under control, I know someone that's supposed to be driving to Homer tonight.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

I hope they do too.
I'm thinking it has changed our plans for the week as well, we are supposed to be camping at a lake right by Tustumena for the week with a group of friends. I'm not sure I even want to leave the house until they get it controlled. Best of luck to your friend. The entire peninsula is a tinder box right now.

I hope everyone stays informed and safe this week and holiday weekend. I really hope no more get sparked.

a reply to: GoShredAK

California has a ton of wildfires. We read a lot about how a protracted drought, combined with a low humidity index and onset of hi winds can create the perfect storm.

All thats needed is a spark and poof…

We concentrate so hard on putting them out that the undergrowth builds up and that makes fires really devastating to regrowth because the topsoil gets cooked and that kills the seeds that are gathered there.

Warmer weather than usual up there. Low humidity, and hi winds?

Poof…

Stay safe fellow Alaskans.

Thank you woodsmom and sorry your so close!

Thank you too for weighing in Mystik.

I saw the plume much clearer on my way to work this morning, quite a sight to behold.

thanks to the other members for the moral support as well

updates to follow if I have anything worthwhile to add...

have a good day ATS..

a reply to: GoShredAK

I'm still happy to be up wind! Thanks!

It sounds like it has spread to about 3000 acres now and it has reached Tustumena. Now it's just a matter of which direction or directions it decides to take. It could really go either way. So far no evacuations have been called for yet.

www.alaskadispatch.com...

radiokenai.net...

Latest update is that the funny river fire is traveling east and west along Tustumena lake. It has spread to between 6 and 7 thousand acres. There are still no evacuations, but it's very close to a friends house.

The Tyonek fire has also spread. The town was successfully voluntarily evacuated last night.

Any prayers or positive thoughts that may be out there would be welcome. Our firefighters are already stretched super thin. So far, so good, lets just hope for the best.

a reply to: woodsmom

thank you for posting those updates.

I wonder when we'll start to hear about some containment?

I just got back from the bluff and that smoke cloud is looking intense!