Mile 17 fire
Encyclopedia
The Mile 17 fire was a wildfire
that began at about mile 17 of East End Road outside of Homer, Alaska
on Tuesday, May 12, 2009 and lasted until Sunday, May 17.
. The Kachemak Bay
area was infested by spruce bark beetles in the 1990s, and many dead, dry trees remained in this area.
. The fire continued to spread rapidly and evacuation orders were issued for residents in the area, including the villages of Razdolna and Voznesenka
. In less than 24 hours the fire had spread from 70 acres (283,280.2 m²) to an estimated 700 acres (2.8 km²), and efforts were shifted from actively fighting the fire to protecting lives and homes.
As of the afternoon of May 14, the fire had grown to nearly 1000 acres (4 km²) and was continuing to spread. Two strike teams were dispatched by the Anchorage Fire Department and Central Mat-Su Fire Department, and a team of smokejumper
s arrived. A Type 1 Incident Command Team took over command of firefighting efforts.
On Friday, May 15, the weather changed and a light rain fell in the fire area, allowing crews an opportunity to contain the fire. Firefighters reported that many areas within the fire perimeter were not burned, and only 2 structures were confirmed lost. The fire was estimated to be 25% contained.
By the weekend, about 245 personnel were on hand to combat the fire. Continued humid weather facilitated major progress over 16 and 17 May, and the fire was 65% contained. Three homes and two other buildings were confirmed destroyed, out of approximately fifty homes in the fire area.
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
that began at about mile 17 of East End Road outside of Homer, Alaska
Homer, Alaska
Homer is a city located in Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population was 5,364. One of Homer's nicknames is "the cosmic hamlet by the sea"; another is "the end of the road"...
on Tuesday, May 12, 2009 and lasted until Sunday, May 17.
Background
South-central Alaska had been experiencing unusually warm, dry weather for about ten days before the fire , and a downed power line apparently ignited dry brush on May 12. Parts of the fire were in forested areas that are inside Kachemak Bay State ParkKachemak Bay State Park
Kachemak Bay State Park and Kachemak Bay Wilderness Park is a park in and around Kachemak Bay, Alaska. Kachemak Bay State Park was the first legislatively designated State Park in the Alaska State Parks system. Kachemak Bay State Wilderness Park is the state's only legislatively designated...
. The Kachemak Bay
Kachemak Bay
Kachemak Bay is a 64-km-long arm of Cook Inlet in the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the southwest side of the Kenai Peninsula. The communities of Homer, Halibut Cove, Seldovia, Nanwalek, Port Graham, and Kachemak City are on the bay as well as three Old Believer settlements in the Fox River...
area was infested by spruce bark beetles in the 1990s, and many dead, dry trees remained in this area.
Firefighting efforts
On Wednesday, May 13 the fire was seemingly under partial control in the morning, but flared up violently due to afternoon winds and began to spread again. Fire crews asked for all available resources, and by the late afternoon over 100 firefighters and numerous pieces of heavy equipment were committed to the fire, along with water tanker trucks and fire-suppression aircraftAerial firefighting
Aerial firefighting is the use of aircraft and other aerial resources to combat wildfires. The types of aircraft used include fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Smokejumpers and rappellers are also classified as aerial firefighters, delivered to the fire by parachute from a variety of fixed-wing...
. The fire continued to spread rapidly and evacuation orders were issued for residents in the area, including the villages of Razdolna and Voznesenka
Voznesenka, Alaska
Voznesenka is a small unincorporated community in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States.-Brief overlook:Located on the Kenai Peninsula, about 25 miles east of Homer, Voznesenka is one of several villages founded by Russian Old Believers in the Fox River area...
. In less than 24 hours the fire had spread from 70 acres (283,280.2 m²) to an estimated 700 acres (2.8 km²), and efforts were shifted from actively fighting the fire to protecting lives and homes.
As of the afternoon of May 14, the fire had grown to nearly 1000 acres (4 km²) and was continuing to spread. Two strike teams were dispatched by the Anchorage Fire Department and Central Mat-Su Fire Department, and a team of smokejumper
Smokejumper
A smokejumper is a wildland firefighter who parachutes into a remote area to combat wildfires.Smokejumpers are most often deployed to fires that are extremely remote. The risks associated with this method of personnel deployment are mitigated by an extremely well developed training program that has...
s arrived. A Type 1 Incident Command Team took over command of firefighting efforts.
On Friday, May 15, the weather changed and a light rain fell in the fire area, allowing crews an opportunity to contain the fire. Firefighters reported that many areas within the fire perimeter were not burned, and only 2 structures were confirmed lost. The fire was estimated to be 25% contained.
By the weekend, about 245 personnel were on hand to combat the fire. Continued humid weather facilitated major progress over 16 and 17 May, and the fire was 65% contained. Three homes and two other buildings were confirmed destroyed, out of approximately fifty homes in the fire area.