Alaska Interagency Incident Management – KPBSD Communications Field Notes

June 4 Funny River Fire UPDATE 193,597 acres with 60 percent containment

ALASKA INTERAGENCY INCIDENT MANAGEMENT
TYPE 2 TEAM
Rob Allen, INCIDENT COMMANDER
FIRE INFORMATION
PHONE: (907) 714-2484
FACEBOOK: Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team
INCIWEB: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3878/
EMAIL: funnyriverfire@gmail.com
10:00 AM June 4, 2014
PDF: 6-4-14 – Funny River Fire Update

FUNNY RIVER FIRE UPDATE

193,597 acres with 60% containment

Today, we expect to see isolated small smoke columns well within the existing contained fire perimeter in pockets of unburned fuels (trees). Southwest light winds are predicted. Last night near Torpedo Lake, a very small (50ft x 50ft) section of unburned fuel (trees) burned within the existing fire perimeter. This was extinguished using air support.
Staffing continues to downsize as fire crews are released to other assignments in Alaska and the Lower 48. The Incident Command Post is a hub of activity as fire crews are returning in from the spike camps for the demobilization process and ground and supply resources are packaged up to be warehoused until the next assignment.
The Prevention Team will be at the Kenai River Festival this weekend to help homeowners with firewise defensible space questions and three “After the Fire” workshops have been scheduled:
Thursday, June 5:10:30am-Noon:             Funny River Community Center
Thursday, June 5: 6:30-8pm:                       Tustumena School
Friday, June 6: 630-8pm:                               Sterling Community Center
Here is a picture of the technical specialists in our Planning Section. This section works long hours often on night shifts. We owe our continued success on the fire to the weather and fire behavior forecasters and the GIS team making the maps to assist the firefighters and the public.

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Facebook links:
Alaska DNR- Division of Forestry (DOF)
Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team
Central Emergency Services
Firewise Alaska
Funny River Wildfire
Homer Electric Association, Inc
Kenai Peninsula Borough
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District

May 31 Funny River Fire UPDATE – 193,243 acres with 54 percent containment

ALASKA INTERAGENCY INCIDENT MANAGEMENT
TYPE 2 TEAM
Rob Allen, INCIDENT COMMANDER
FIRE INFORMATION
PHONE: (907) 714-2484
FACEBOOK: Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team
INCIWEB: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3878/
EMAIL: funnyriverfire@gmail.com
10:00 AM May 31, 2014
PDF: 5-31-14 – Funny River Fire Update

FUNNY RIVER FIRE UPDATE
193,243 acres with 54% containment

Alaska Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell will be visiting the ICP this afternoon and available at the 1:30pm Media briefing.
Fire crews took advantage of the cool and damp conditions as they continued to “mop-up” (extinguish all burning material) up to 300’ from the firelines. Fuels dried considerably on Friday with Chinook winds affecting the Eastern edge of the fire area. Isolated pockets on the east side of the fire displayed very active backing despite 40mph easterly winds and limited precipitation. Crews have tied in the line to Star Lake and are now mopping up the area near Kasilof. Fire containment is now 54 percent, with 751 firefighters working to keep the fire away from populated areas.
Today crews will continue to “mop –up” on the west side of the fire in the Kasilof and Sterling Highway areas (up to 500’ from firelines) and in the Funny River Road area. Containment lines on the north side of Torpedo Lake and north side of the Kenai River will be improved and strengthened. Hotshot crews will also continue building fireline south of the fuel break in the Browns Lake area.
Structure protection continues in the Tustumena Lake, Kenai Keys, Private Allotments and the Wilderness Adventure Lodge, Skilak Lake areas.
Even with the current weather and level of containment, several consecutive days of heavier rain are still needed to alter the overall fire activity. Residents can expect to see smoke from inside the perimeter of the fire into the summer.
Early Friday and Saturday mornings, a team from the university’s Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration flew a ScanEagle aircraft over the fire. The aircraft, equipped with infrared image sensors and cameras, found hot spots within the fire perimeter allowing line firefighters to monitor the areas.
Residents and visitors are urged to continue to use extreme caution with anything that could ignite a fire. Visitors and area residents are reminded that fire crews, air and ground equipment are working in the areas of the Sterling Highway and Funny River Road.
Daily advisories on smoke conditions are available from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation at http://dec.alaska.gov/Applications/Air/airtoolsweb/Advisories.
Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Services has set up a call line to help homeowners with fire preparedness. Residents can call (907) 714-2495. Information is available at http://www.borough.kenai.ak.us/emergency-mgmt/fire.

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Funny River Fire Public Information Map
Facebook links:
Alaska DNR- Division of Forestry (DOF)
Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team
Central Emergency Services
Funny River Wildfire
Homer Electric Association, Inc
Kenai Peninsula Borough
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District

May 29 Funny River Fire UPDATE – 192,831 acres with 46 percent containment

FUNNY RIVER FIRE UPDATE

192,831 acres with 46% containment

No evacuation notices or alerts are in effect for the fire area.
The Lower Skilak Lake Campground and boat launch are now open; burn ban remains in effect.
Fire crews are taking advantage of the recent cooler and moist conditions as they continue to “mop-up” (extinguish all burning material) up to 200’ from the firelines. Yesterday, very light precipitation was reported over most of the fire area. Up to .10” of rain fell in the west end of the fire. Humidity was recorded above 45% with light winds. Today, very similar conditions are expected with winds increasing to 10-15 miles per hour and gusts up to 25 mph from the east.
Crews will continue to reinforce containment lines on the west side of the fire in the Kasilof and Sterling Highway areas, and in the Funny River Road area. Containment lines on the north side of Torpedo Lake and north side of the Kenai River will be improved and strengthened. Fire containment is now 46 percent, with 760 firefighters working to keep the fire away from populated areas.
There was a public meeting at the Funny River Community Center last night where over 70 interested citizens were updated on the fire and had an opportunity to speak with fire managers and learn specifics about the status of the fire.
Several consecutive days of heavier rain are needed to alter the overall fire activity. Residents should not be surprised to see smoke from inside the perimeter of the fire into the summer.
One firefighter injured his knee yesterday while working on the fire and is being treated. Much of the area is remote and difficult to access. The safety of the firefighters and the public is of great concern to fire managers. Crews are continually briefed and reminded of potential hazards in this rugged terrain. The safety record has been excellent to date and plans are in effect to keep it that way. Residents and visitors are urged to continue to use extreme caution with anything that could ignite a fire. Visitors and area residents are reminded that fire crews, air and ground equipment are working in the areas of the Sterling Highway and Funny River Road.
Daily advisories on smoke conditions are available from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation at http://dec.alaska.gov/Applications/Air/airtoolsweb/Advisories.
Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Services has set up a call line to help homeowners with fire preparedness. Residents can call (907) 714-2495. Information is available at http://www.borough.kenai.ak.us/emergency-mgmt/fire

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May 28 Funny River Fire Update, 183,294 acres with 30 percent containment

ALASKA INTERAGENCY INCIDENT MANAGEMENT
TYPE 2 TEAM
Rob Allen, INCIDENT COMMANDER
FIRE INFORMATION
PHONE: (907) 714-2484
FACEBOOK: Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team
INCIWEB: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3878/
EMAIL: funnyriverfire@gmail.com
10:45 am May 28, 2014
PDF: 5-28-14 – Funny River Fire Update

FUNNY RIVER FIRE UPDATE

183,294 acres with 30% containment

All remaining evacuation advisories have been lifted for areas near the fire.
Cooler, damper weather moderated fire activity on Tuesday which allowed firefighters to switch from defense to offence for the first time since the Funny River Fire started nine days ago. Crews reinforced the containment lines on the west side of the fire in the Kasilof and Sterling Highway areas, and in the Funny River Road area. Progress was made with containment line on the north side of Torpedo Lake on the north side of the Kenai River. Overall fire containment is now 30 percent, with 713 firefighters working to keep the fire away from populated areas.
The evacuation order along the Funny River Road was cancelled yesterday and most residents returned to their homes. All remaining evacuation advisories have been lifted. The Lower Skilak Lake Campground remains closed until further notice.
Five structures were confirmed as lost to the fire. The owners were notified by the Kenai Peninsula Borough. These structures include one outbuilding (the main structure was saved), and four recreation cabins with limited access.
A community meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Funny River Community Center to share information with affected residents and answer questions.
The fire received .04 inches of rain overnight. The weather forecast is calling for continued rain throughout the day and additional heavier precipitation later in the week. Several consecutive days of heavier rain are needed to alter the overall fire activity. Residents should not be surprised to see smoke from inside the perimeter of the fire into the summer.
The light rain over the last 36 hours has slightly moderated the extremely dry conditions on the Kenai Peninsula. Residents and visitors are urged to continue to use extreme caution with anything that could ignite a fire. Visitors and area residents are reminded that fire crews, air and ground equipment are working in the areas of the Sterling Highway and Funny River Road.
Daily advisories on smoke conditions are available from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation at http://dec.alaska.gov/Applications/Air/airtoolsweb/Advisories.
Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Services has set up a call line to help homeowners with fire preparedness. Residents can call (907) 714-2495. Information is available at http://www.borough.kenai.ak.us/emergency-mgmt/fire

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May 27 FUNNY RIVER FIRE UPDATE 182,009 acres with 30 percent containment

ALASKA INTERAGENCY INCIDENT MANAGEMENT
TYPE 2 TEAM
Rob Allen, INCIDENT COMMANDER
FIRE INFORMATION
PHONE: (907) 714-2484
FACEBOOK: Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team
INCIWEB: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3878/
EMAIL: funnyriverfire@gmail.com
9:30 am May 27, 2014
PDF: 5-27-14 – Funny River Fire Update

FUNNY RIVER FIRE UPDATE
182,009 acres with 30% containment

Firefighters made excellent progress yesterday extending containment lines on the west side of the fire in the Kasilof and Sterling Highway areas. Crews also completed burnout operations along the northern perimeter (south of Funny River road) late in the day helping to secure areas that had burned over containment lines on Sunday. The fire grew to over 182,000 acres as winds continued to push the fire perimeter northeast towards the Skilak Lake Road and further east into the wildlife refuge area. Overall fire containment is now 30 percent.
The evacuation order along the Funny River road has been cancelled. Residents are allowed to return to their homes. This area remains under an evacuation advisory. The evacuation advisory along the Sterling Highway was also lifted. The Kenai Keys area remains under an evacuation advisory. The Lower Skilak Lake Campground remains closed until further notice.
Community meetings are scheduled tonight for folks to learn more about current fire suppression activities. Meetings will be at Tustumena School at 6 p.m. and at Soldotna High School at 8 p.m.
The fire received .03 -.06 inches of rain overnight. The weather forecast is calling for continued rain throughout the day and additional precipitation until the end of the week. The cooler and wetter weather will help slow fire activity and assist firefighters in efforts to contain the fire. Several consecutive days of appreciable moisture are needed to alter the overall fire activity.
Vegetation remains extremely dry on the Kenai Peninsula. Residents and visitors are urged to use extreme caution with anything that could ignite a fire. Visitors to the area and residents are reminded that fire crews, air and ground equipment are working in close proximity to the Sterling Highway and Funny River Road.
Information about current smoke conditions is available from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation at http://dec.alaska.gov/air/am/smoke.htm
Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Services has set up a call line to help homeowners with fire preparedness. Residents can call (907) 714-2495. Information is available at http://www.borough.kenai.ak.us/emergency-mgmt/fire

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This image is from NASA Earth Observatory

“Driven by strong winds, the Funny River Fire burned more than 182,000 acres in south-central Alaska by the morning of May 27, 2014. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terrasatellite acquired this image at 1:45 p.m. on May 26. Active fire areas are outlined in red. The fire is burning in a hardwood and spruce forest and grass that is dry from an early, warm spring. It is producing significant amounts of smoke that is affecting air quality across the Kenai Peninsula.”

FUNNY RIVER FIRE May 26 UPDATE 158,585 acres with 30 percent containment

ALASKA INTERAGENCY INCIDENT MANAGEMENT
TYPE 2 TEAM
Rob Allen, INCIDENT COMMANDER
FIRE INFORMATION
PHONE: (907) 714-2484
FACEBOOK: Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team
INCIWEB: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3878/
EMAIL: funnyriverfire@gmail.com
9:30 am May 26, 2014
PDF: 5-26-14 – Funny River Fire Update

FUNNY RIVER FIRE UPDATE
158,585 acres with 30% containment

The Funny River Fire crossed the Kenai River Sunday afternoon near Torpedo Lake just east of the Kenai Keys. Several spot fires within the Keys did minor damage but were quickly put out. The fire management team is working to confirm if any structures have been lost. This wind driven fire is continuing to spread northeast towards the Skilak Lake Road. The Lower Skilak Lake Campground was evacuated and is closed until further notice. The Kenai Keys area is under an evacuation advisory.
The increased fire activity along the northern edge of the fire triggered an evacuation order Sunday afternoon for residents living along Funny River Road between Mile Point 7 and the east end of the road. An orderly evacuation took place, with Alaska State Troopers and other officials going door to door to confirm residents received the reverse 911 notification and had left their homes.
About 250 of the fire’s 600 firefighters are working along the northern end to further secure and extend fireline.
Firefighters made excellent progress extending containment lines on the west side of the fire in the Kasilof and Sterling Highway areas. The fire activity on the west side of the fire was minimal and the fire is now 30 percent contained.
The weather forecast is calling for rain early Tuesday. Cooler and wet weather will help slow fire activity.
Vegetation remains extremely dry on the Kenai Peninsula. Residents and visitors are urged to use extreme caution with anything that could ignite a fire. Weekend visitors to the area and residents are reminded that fire crews, air and ground equipment are working in close proximity to the Sterling Highway and Funny River Road.
Information about current smoke conditions is available from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation at http://dec.alaska.gov/air/am/smoke.htm
Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Services has set up a call line to help homeowners with fire preparedness. Residents can call (907) 714-2495. Information is available at http://www.borough.kenai.ak.us/emergency-mgmt/fire
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FUNNY RIVER FIRE UPDATE 123,649 acres with 20 percent containment

ALASKA INTERAGENCY INCIDENT MANAGEMENT
TYPE 2 TEAM
Rob Allen, INCIDENT COMMANDER
FIRE INFORMATION
PHONE: (907) 714-2484
FACEBOOK: Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team
INCIWEB: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3878/
EMAIL: funnyriverfire@gmail.com
9:30 am May 25, 2014
PDF: 5-25-14 – Funny River Fire Update

FUNNY RIVER FIRE UPDATE
123,649 acres with 20% containment

On Saturday strong southwesterly winds associated with Red Flag Warning weather conditions tested containment lines and pushed the fire’s size to 123,649 acres by 11:30 PM. The lines held and firefighters successfully halted the fire’s northward progress at a fuel break by Brownes Lake, which is south of Sterling and the Funny River Road. Firefighters will continue building and securing fire lines along the fire’s northern edge. Two Air National Guard Black Hawk helicopters arrived and are assisting firefighters with water drops.
On the fire’s western edge near Kasilof, firefighters kept the fire from crossing the Intertie powerline that parallels the Sterling Highway. Crews will continue working on extending containment lines on the fire’s west side. Structure protection crews with fire engines are active in areas potentially affected by the fire. No structures have been lost and the fire has not crossed the Kasilof River.
A successful burnout operation took place to protect the remote Bear Creek Subdivision on the shore of Tustumena Lake. Two other burnout operations took place on Saturday and successfully held the fire.
Governor Sean Parnell, State Forester Chris Maisch, and Fire Program Manager Tom Kurth will be touring the fire Sunday. The Governor is scheduled to attend the 1:30 PM media briefing at Skyview High School in Soldotna.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough’s Community Emergency Services expanded the Evacuation Watch for the Pollard Loop Subdivision area to include the east side of the Sterling Highway to Funny River Road, and the south side of Funny River Road. This advisory encourages residents to prepare in case they may need to leave their homes.
Vegetation remains extremely dry on the Kenai Peninsula. Residents and visitors are urged to use extreme caution with anything that could ignite a fire. Weekend visitors to the area and residents are reminded that fire crews, air and ground equipment are working in close proximity to the Sterling Highway and Funny River Road.
Information about current smoke conditions is available from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation at http://dec.alaska.gov/air/am/smoke.htm

Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Services has set up a call line to help homeowners with fire preparedness. Residents can call (907) 714-2495. Information is available at http://www.borough.kenai.ak.us/emergency-mgmt/fire

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EVACUATION ALERT ADVISORY: RED FLAG WARNING

ALASKA INTERAGENCY INCIDENT MANAGEMENT
TYPE 2 TEAM
Rob Allen, INCIDENT COMMANDER
FIRE INFORMATION
PHONE: (907) 714-2484
FACEBOOK: Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team
INCIWEB: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3878/
EMAIL: funnyriverfire@gmail.com
1:38 am May 24, 2014
PDF: 5-24-14 – Funny River Fire Evac

EVACUATION ALERT ADVISORY: RED FLAG WARNING

AN EVACUATION ADVISORY WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED BY THE KENAI PENINSULA BOROUGH FOR FUNNY RIVER ROAD RESIDENTS AND KASILOF RESIDENTS NORTH OF THE KASILOF RIVER AND EAST OF THE STERLING HIGHWAY.

AN ADVISORY IS NOT AN EVACUATION ORDER. IT IS A REQUEST TO PREPARE YOURSELF FOR A POTENTIAL EVACUATION DUE TO FIRE CONDITIONS AS RED FLAG WEATHER CONDITIONS WITH HIGH WINDS AND DRY FOREST FUELS ARE PREDICTED FOR LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.
RESIDENTS MAY SEE FIRE CREWS AND APPARATUS IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS CONDUCTING FIRE PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT :
Fire Information: 714-2484
Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Services has set up a call line to help homeowners with fire preparedness. Residents can call (907) 714-2495. Information is available at http://www.borough.kenai.ak.us/emergency-mgmt/fire

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Update: Funny River Fire Grows to 44,423 acres, Public Meetings Scheduled for Tonight

ALASKA INTERAGENCY INCIDENT MANAGEMENT

TYPE 2 TEAM
Rob Allen, INCIDENT COMMANDER
FIRE INFORMATION
PHONE: (907) 714-2484
INCIWEB: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3878/
EMAIL: funnyriverfire@gmail.com
May 22, 2014
PDF 5-22-14 Funny River Fire Update

FUNNY RIVER FIRE UPDATE

Funny River Fire Grows to 44,423 acres, Public Meetings Scheduled for Tonight

Firefighters continued working through the night to contain the Funny River Fire. The Funny River Fire has burned 44,423 acres within the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. It is five percent contained. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team will hold two public meetings tonight.
The first will be held at 6 p.m. at Tustumena Elementary School, 58231 Sterling Highway, Kasilof
and the second will be held at 8 p.m. at the Funny River Community Center, 35850 Pioneer Access Road, Soldotna.
Fire managers and emergency operations officials will discuss the firefighting efforts and public safety and will take questions.
Crews have made good progress in corralling the fire on the northwest corner by creating a dozer line. The arrival of water-scooping aircraft today will help reinforce efforts to contain the southwest flank of the fire and protect the community of Kasilof. The fire is approximately 4 miles from the Kasilof River and 3.5 miles east of the Pollard Subdivision. Firefighters will also continue work today on the northwest corner, where they worked overnight burning out vegetation to protect Funny River Road residents. The fire is 3 miles from the water accessible only Bear Creek Subdivision and a crew of firefighters are headed to the subdivision today. The arrival of additional crews today is expected to help the Alaska Type II Incident Management Team make progress on containing the blaze.
Residents in the area should expect to see increased air traffic related to the fire. A Temporary Flight Restriction remains in effect over the fire area.
The fire continues to send heavy smoke over the Kenai Peninsula and other parts of Southcentral Alaska. An Air Quality Advisory remains in effect.
Information about smoke is available from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation at http://dec.alaska.gov/air/am/smoke.htm
Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Services has set up a call line to help homeowners with fire preparedness. Residents can call (907) 714-2495.
Central Emergency Services is urging residents who live near the fire to stay aware and be prepared. Information is available at http://www.borough.kenai.ak.us/emergency-mgmt/fire
Vegetation remains extremely dry on the Kenai Peninsula. Residents and visitors are urged to use extreme caution with anything that could ignite a fire.

FUNNY RIVER FIRE UPDATE

FUNNY RIVER FIRE UPDATE 158,585 acres with 30% containment

FUNNY RIVER FIRE UPDATE
158,585 acres with 30% containment