Hard Luck Creek Fire Update-August 13, 2009
Incident: Hard Luck Creek Fire Wildfire
Released: 8/13/2009
New Mexico Type II Interagency Incident
Management Team
Craig Cowie - Incident Commander
Contact: Joint Information Center
(907) 356-5511
HARD LUCK CREEK FIRE UPDATE
August 13, 2009
The Hard Luck Creek Fire is located between Murphy Dome and the Chatanika River approximately 20 miles northwest of Fairbanks, AK. The Fire has shown no growth and remains 13,213 acres in size and is now twenty five percent contained as of yesterday evening.
The New Mexico Type II Incident Management Team is managing the fire.
Firefighters made good progress Wednesday, taking advantage of dryer weather during mop up activities and fire line construction. The contingency line from Murphy Dome to the Chatanika River is now complete as is the two long fingers of the fire west of the Shovel Creek drainage.
Yesterday, minimal fire activity was observed due to moisture in some tundra and other fuels within the fire area. Also, fewer smoldering embers and smokes were observed in the finger in Div A (located on the northwest corner of the fire).
Rain is predicted in the weather forecast today, Friday and possibly through the weekend. Today, firefighters will continue line building and mop-up, concentrating their efforts on divisions B, C and Z (west of Shovel Creek and north of 14 Mile Trail). If no precipitation occurs, there is potential that portions of the 14 Mile Trail may be burned out in the future to secure the fire's edge.
Completion of the containment line along the tip of the finger in Div A is expected by end of shift tonight. Bucket drops are still being utilized to cool the fire's edge and ensure safety of firefighters constructing direct fireline.
Meanwhile, personnel and equipment will begin to be released from the Hard Luck Creek fire as suppression activities move towards completion and equipment is no longer needed.
Public Meeting: A community information meeting about the Hard Luck Creek Fire is planned for Friday August 14th at 6:00 pm at the Goldstream Valley Lion's Club Park on Goldstream Road. Fire officials will be present to provide the latest information updates and answer questions.
Closures and restrictions: Although the 14-mile Trail is not closed, the public is strongly discouraged from using the road due to large amounts of firefighting personnel and equipment on the road. The restriction on firewood cutting on State lands has now been lifted. The restriction on open fires in designated Game Management Units has also been lifted.
For additional information on the Hard Luck Creek Fire or other fires in Alaska, please phone the Joint Information Center at the number listed above or visit the following websites:
Alaska Interagency Coordination Center: http://fire.ak.blm.gov/
Inciweb: http://www.inciweb.org/
###
