8/23 10:10 am: As of Thursday evening, the Deshka Landing Fire is not significantly expanding. The estimated size of the fire has been reduced to 1,543 acres, a decrease of almost 700 acres. The reduced acreage is due to better mapping. The fire is 15% contained. No structures or private land have been involved.
http://akfireinfo.com/…/deshka-landing-fire-15-contained-s…/
8/22 9:10 am: The Deshka Landing fire near Willow has not shown significant growth in the past 48 hours. No structures or private land have been involved. The estimated size still remains at 2,217 acres and is 10% contained as of this morning.
https://akfireinfo.com/…/deshka-landing-fire-10-percent-c…/…
8/21 10:05 am: The Deshka Landing Fire has not grown significantly in the last 24 hours. The fire is currently estimated at 2,217 acres and is 5% contained. As of Wednesday morning, no structures have burned. The fire is creeping very slowly to the south and is approximately 1 mile from the north end of Red Shirt Lake. New firefighting crews from the Lower 48 are arriving to use hand tools and water pumps to arrest any further spread to the south. [ 121 more words ]
http://akfireinfo.com/…/firefighters-report-little-growth-…/
8/20 2:50 pm: Latest update from akfireinfo.com: The Deshka Landing Fire did not show significant growth overnight and remains estimated at 2,217 acres. Firefighters continue to build containment lines and hose lays working direct on the fire’s edge along the eastern side of the fire closest to structures along Long Lake Road. Crews are also setting up structure protection measures for more than 45 cabins around Red Shirt Lake. This morning, the fire was reported one-half mile from structures on Red Shirt Lake. Water-scooping aircraft, retardant tankers and helicopters outfitted with water-dropping buckets are available to support firefighters working on the ground. The entire update is available at https://akfireinfo.com/2019/08/20/firefighters-working-direct-on-east-flank-of-deshka-landing-fire/
8/20 12:30 pm: Matanuska-Susitna Borough Mayor Vern Halter and Manager John Moosey signed a disaster declaration today for multiple wildfires in the Borough since Saturday August 17.
8/20 12:00 pm: Due to the ongoing fire danger and road closures/delays the following schools will be closed for the remainder of this week (thru 8/23): Willow Elementary, Talkeetna Elementary, Trapper Creek Elementary, Susitna Valley Jr/Sr High School and Beryozova.
8/19 9:34 pm: Forestry said that the fire, estimated at 2,217 acres as of Monday afternoon, did not show significant growth on Monday, in large part because high winds from the previous day subsided and allowed aircraft to drop retardant and water at strategic points around the fire. Ten smokejumpers focused their attention protecting approximately 45 cabins surrounding Red Shirt Lake, just to the south of the fire. More help will arrive Tuesday and Wednesday in the form of hotshot crews and helicopters. A Type 2 team from the Pacific Northwest will arrive in Alaska Tuesday and will likely take command of the fire sometime on Wednesday. The full update included a fire perimeter map (included here): https://akfireinfo.com/2019/08/19/lighter-winds-air-support-aid-firefighters-battling-deshka-landing-fire/?fbclid=IwAR253Z4hpvI8kVtWDBo9vpdtZAZbzLIyZ92TRIizHUbV4K19O432CRA1gYE
8/19 3:00 pm: The Deshka Landing Fire (#736) was estimated at 1,800 acres as of Monday morning, and firefighters are working to protect approximately 45 cabins around Red Shirt Lake. Firefighters are also working to secure the eastern edge of the fire closest to Long Lake Road with support air tankers making retardant drops and helicopters making water drops. Air tankers are currently making strategic retardant drops around the perimeter of the fire to create containment lines to help slow the spread and keep it west of Long Lake Road, where there are subdivisions and cabins. Helicopters are being used to make water drops on the fire and shuttle crews into the fire. As of Monday morning, there were 111 personnel working on the fire and more crews were expected to arrive in Alaska from the Lower 48 to join the fight on Tuesday. Entire update: https://akfireinfo.com/2019/08/19/deshka-landing-fire-estimated-at-1800-acres-air-tankers-and-helicopters-making-retardant-and-water-drops/
8/18 8:00 pm: Due to increased fire activity and concern for firefighter safety, firefighters working on the Deshka Landing Fire are pulling back and focusing on protecting cabins on Red Shirt Lake and securing the eastern edge of the fire so it doesn’t make a push toward subdivisions on Long Lake Road, according to the Alaska Division of Forestry. As of 4:30 p.m., the fire was estimated at approximately 950 acres. The fire is being pushed south by north winds and was approaching the South Rolly Campground. It is unclear at this point whether it has reached the campground or crossed Rolly Creek. Like the McKinley Fire burning about 20 miles to the north, high winds have intensified fire activity and fire behavior has become extreme.
8/18 6:00 pm: The Borough’s 6:00 fire briefing was cancelled due to “extenuating circumstances.”
8/18 5:20 pm: The Mat-Su Borough School District has announced that four schools in the upper Susitna Valley will be closed on Monday due to increased fire danger: Willow Elementary, Su Valley High, Trapper Creek Elementary, and Talkeetna Elementary.
8/18 4:10 pm: The Mat-Su Borough and Alaska Division of Forestry have not released any new information since 1:00. We expect that the 5 pm public briefing will provide news on developments through the afternoon. We will stream that briefing on air and on Facebook.
8/18 2:56 pm: Internet and service have been restored to downtown Talkeetna and KTNA is streaming again at ktna.org/listen.html. We have limited channels on the stream so please only tune in that way if you cannot listen to KTNA on a radio so that people outside the area can follow what’s happening. Thank you.
8/18 1:20 pm: The Mat-Su Borough and Alaska Division of Forestry just held a press conference. The cause of the Deshka Landing fire has not been determined yet. Not much has changed from previous updates below. The evacuation will remain in effect through today and re-assessed tomorrow. Borough Manager Moosey is in contact with School Superintendent Goyette to determine if there will be any changes to school schedules in the upper valley tomorrow. There will be more information on that at a 5:00 public briefing that the borough will hold.
8/18 11:50 am: KTNA has lost landline and internet connectivity. Our stream is currently offline.
8/18 11:10 am: The Alaska Division of Forestry has released its first update of the day. The Deshka Landing Fire has grown to between 600 and 1,000 acres as of Sunday morning and was moving southeast. The fire has spotted across Rolly Creek and firefighters are working to suppress those spot fires to keep the fire north of Rolly Creek. Firefighters are focusing their attention on the eastern flank of the fire closest to structures. There are currently approximately 20 firefighters working on the fire and the Tanana Chiefs Conference Type 2 Initial Attack Crew from Tok should be arriving shortly to help with suppression efforts. https://akfireinfo.com/2019/08/18/state-forestry-still-working-to-contain-wildfires-near-talkeetna-and-willow-no-structures-lost-evacuations-in-place-highway-open/
8/18 11:00 am: The Mat-Su Borough has scheduled a Press Conference on Mat-Su Valley wildfires for 1 pm at the Borough building at 350 E. Dahlia Ave. They will stream it live via Facebook Live and KTNA will try to broadcast it on-air and on ktna.org. We will also report on the information provided. Our next live on-air update will be at 11:30 am.
8/18 10:10 am: From the Mat-Su Borough: Deshka Fire has been held near Rolly Creek. Weather forecasts are forecasting that the winds will pick up again today so therefore people currently at Red Shirt Lake and the surrounding areas are instructed to evacuate the area out of an abundance of caution. Nancy Lake Parkway will be closed at mile 2.2 (the Winter trailhead). Individuals should be able to hike out from Red Shirt lake on the Red Shirt Lake trail and access parked cars at the Red Shirt Lake trailhead. The Lynx Lake gate at mile 4 of Lynx Lake Rd. will be unlocked and open to allow individuals to leave the Lynx Lake and Butterfly Lake areas. Please begin moving out of the area until the Division of Forestry can contain the fire.
8/18 10:00 am: We have resumed live on-air updates at the top and bottom of every hour. The next update will be at 10:30 am. Our stream at KTNA.org is also back online. We are expecting a detailed update from the Division of Forestry soon.
8/18 9:56 am: Last night’s late update from the borough appears to have been inaccurate. According to the Alaska Division of Forestry, the Deshka Landing fire is now between 600 and 1,000 acres, moving south. Nancy Lake Parkway is being closed, and property owners in the Redshirt area are being notified. South Rolly campground has been evacuated.
8/18 12:20 am: The Mat-Su Borough reported that the Deshka Landing Fire was contained.
8/17 10:00 pm: The Deshka Landing Fire (#736) near milepost 68 of the highway is estimated at 200-plus acres. At last report it was one-half mile from South Rolly Campground and fire managers have issued an evacuation notice for the campground. Fire personnel are also contacting anyone staying in cabins on Red Shirt Lake to prepared for a possible evacuation.
8/17 7:45 pm: From Alaska Division of Forestry: State forestry is also working to contain an approximately 100-acre wildfire burning near Deshka Landing, about 22 miles to the south of the McKinley Fire. The Deshka Landing Fire is burning about 4 ½ miles west of the Parks Highway near Mile 68 and is within one-half mile of multiple recreational cabins along the Susitna River northeast of the fire.
Four smokejumpers and a helitack squad have been deployed on the fire and an air tanker is enroute to make retardant drops. A helicopter is dropping water on the fire.
