KIYU NEWSROOM
More Alaska village crews headed to
the lower 48
8-11-06
KIYU
Fire crews from Alaska villages continue to head down to the lower 48 to fight wildfires. For the most recent assignment, BLM-Alaska Fire Service is moving 4 crews from villages in the Galena zone to Fairbanks this weekend. From there, crews from Grayling, Huslia, Koyukuk, and Buckland will fly to Oregon. Crews will also be moving in the opposite direction. John Cisca, zone coordination officer for the Alaska Fire Service in Galena, confirms that 5 crews will be returning to Alaska this weekend after a 2 week assignment in northern California. The Ruby, Huslia, St Michael, Shungnak, and Ambler crews endured 100 degree heat for most of their assignment in California. Type-2 crews from Alaska are also working in north central Washington State, on the Tripod Complex. About 21 hundred people are assigned to that complex, which has burned about 76 thousand acres, and is threatening more than 800 homes. Village crews from Allakaket, Huslia, and Tanana remain assigned to the Uncle Complex in northern California, which has burned close to 10 thousand acres of a national forest.