07/07/15 8:50 am Card Street Fire Cools

Soldotna, Alaska  – As the Type-3 Incident Management Team assumed the responsibilities of the fire direction and priorities were identified.  Protection of life and property remains number 1.  A Division of Forestry Fire Engine is patrolling the roads and subdivisions for any hot spots or smokes and will extinguish all found.  Repair work continues where dozer fire lines were constructed to stop the spread of the fire.  Repair work is defined as putting back the natural vegetation that was removed by the dozer when the dozer fire line was constructed. In addition to the patrolling and repair of the fire the entire perimeter is being monitored with a special interest focused on the north side of the lake near the outlet of Skilak Lake for any outbreak of flames or smoke. There are 14 firefighters, an Engine and Helicopter working on this 8,876 acre fire.

The National Weather Service is forecasting cloudy and rainy conditions for the next few days.  Any additional moisture will aid the suppression effort and minimize single tree and group tree torching in the interior of the fire that usually occurs on large Alaskan fires.  The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge  has a burn restriction in place that all “Open Fires” are prohibited on Refuge Lands and the Kenai Peninsula Borough remains under a “Burn Suspension” order which prohibits burning debris piles and burn barrels but allows for campfires, warming, signal, charcoal fires and gas  BBQ grills and fish smokers.

CONTACT:  Andy Alexandrou - Public Information Officer

        Division of Forestry

        Kenai-Kodiak Area Office

        Soldotna, Alaska

        907-260-4261

        andy.alexandrou@alaska.gov

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