A fire in the middle Kuskokwim community of Crooked Creek destroyed two structure and caused power damage to another on Saturday, June 21, around 4 p.m., according to the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. No injuries related to the fire have been reported.
A situation report issued by the Division attributed the cause of the fire to lightning, and reported that eight residents were displaced and are sheltering with relatives or other community members as of June 23.
Spokesperson for the Alaska Division of Fire and Forestry Protection Branden Hampton said that a wildland fire crew maintaining the nearby Oskawalik Fire was alerted of the structure fires and called in to help.
“Once they were notified that we did have structure fire in Crooked Creek, they were transported on boats up the Kuskokwim River to Crooked Creek where they actually started suppressing the fire to make sure it wasn't moving into the wildlands,” Hampton described. “With support of our water corrupting [dropping] helicopters, they were able to contain those fires to a limited number of structures.”
The Oskawalik Fire is currently 35% contained 9 miles south of the village. The structure fires were unrelated to the wildfire, which Hampton said does not threaten the Crooked Creek community.
“When we do get structure fires in these small communities and small villages, it falls on the shoulders of the residents to put those fires out,” Hampton said. “Unfortunately, we don't have firefighters that are trained or the equipment that we need to safely go in and put a structure fire out. What we will do is ensure that fire doesn't move from the structures to the wildland.”
The Alaska Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security reported that its Mass Care Group is currently coordinating aid with the American Red Cross.
This is a developing story and may be updated with additional information.
