6/20/15 10:15 am Card Street Fire Daily Update

FIRE STATUS Acres Burned:  7,657 (as of Friday evening) Cause:  Human – Under Investigation Structures Destroyed:  11 Evacuations: Kenai Keys SOUTH of Feuding Lane Closures:  Skilak Loop Road and campgrounds Containment:  0%

RESOURCES Crews:   13 (5 type 1, 8 type 2) Engines: 8 Dozers: 3 Water Tenders: 5 Helicopters: 3 Total personnel:  approx. 340 Injuries: 0

Current Situation:  The Card Street fire continues to burn into the marshlands and recreation area of Skilak Lake. The fire is established in a full suppression area of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and all actions are being taken to keep the fire at the smallest possible acreage. The fire has burned 7,657 acres since it began last Monday. The fire is burning parallel to the Sterling Highway and Skilak Lake.

There are 5 Interagency Hotshot Crews working on the northeast and east portions of the fire to construct and strengthen lines.  Eight additional 20 person crews are working to locate and extinguish any pockets of heat around the structures along the fires perimeter.  All heat found within 300 feet of any structure will be extinguished to ensure that it won't be able to reignite. A total of 340 personnel are assigned to the incident including 13 fire crews, 8 fire engines and 3 helicopters.

Community Meeting: A public meeting will be held on Sunday, June 21 at 2 PM at the Sterling Community Center at the corner of the Sterling Highway and Swanson River Road.

Burn Restrictions: The Alaska Division of Forestry and the State Forester determined that it is necessary to prohibit the use of all open fires and activities which unduly increase the fire danger.

Until further notice all cooking, warming, signaling fires or any type of fire are prohibited on state lands, including state park units, and private and municipal lands within Game Management Units 7, 13, 14, 15 and 16. The term "open fires" refers to any flame source not immediately extinguishable or controllable and applies to any form of wood or charcoal-based fire, even in established fire rings.  Gas grills, backpacking or camp stoves using fuel or compressed canisters which can be regulated and shut off are still permitted for use.  Fireworks are prohibited in the Kenai Borough. More information can be found at www.kpboem.com or http://akfireinfo.com/.

Weather Outlook: Conditions will be cooler and more humid in the fire area today.  Temperatures are expected to top out at 72 degrees, with mostly sunny skies and westerly winds to 5 mph in the afternoon.  Fire crews will take advantage of the cooler weather to continue to construct and strengthen lines.

Evacuation Information: Kenai Keyes SOUTH to the Kenai River remains evacuated status. Please use caution when returning to your residence and stay away for fire apparatus and crews that continue to work in the area.

Closures: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has Skilak Loop Road and campgrounds closed in the fire vicinity.

Injuries: There have been no injuries.

Cooperating Agencies: Alaska Division of Forestry, Alaska State Troopers, Kenai Peninsula Borough, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.