September 1, 2019 - Wildfire in Alaska (Swan Lake Fire)

As temperatures rise, so does the risk of wildfire. The state of Alaska has experienced an extremely warm summer, with record temperatures recorded in several areas in July 2019. Anchorage, located in south-central Alaska at the northern tip of the Cook Inlet and Alaska’s most populous city shattered high temperature records, reaching 90°F (32°F) in the first week of July.

The record-setting summer, which followed an unusually warm winter, set the stage for a severe and extended wildfire season. As of August 26, 682 fires have burned more than 2.5 million acres, and four blazes continue to scorch the area near Anchorage. The statutory wildfire season in Alaska normally begins on April 1 and ends on August 31, but due to high fire danger persisting due to the continued warm, dry conditions the state Department of Natural Resources has extended the end of the fire season to September 30. Among other things, this means that burn permits will be required for open debris burning through September 30.

On August 29, 2019, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of a large fire burning on the Kenai Peninsula south of Anchorage. Smoke blankets the region and is so thick that in several areas that it obscures the landscape below.

The Swan Lake Fire was ignited by lighting in a remote area of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Wilderness on June 5, 2019. According to the Incident Overview posted on the Inciweb website, Swan Lake was one of 11 fires reported in the area on June 5-6. The fire spread rapidly and by June 10, it had grown to over 2,500 acres. Despite fire-fighting efforts, by July 2 the fire had grown to over 79,000 acres and was spreading while helicopters dropped up to 250,000 gallons a day to slow the flames. Fire-fighting efforts were targeted first to protect life as well as property, and these efforts were successful from the beginning. By July 28, the fire had ceased to expand. A warming and drying trend set in, and by August 10 surface fuels responded and heat smoldering in the deep duff layer became active. Green islands of fuel in the fires interior began to burn as the eastern perimeter became more active. On August 18, winds in excess of 35 miles per hour spread the fire across Sterling Highway and over the next week the fire grew an additional fifty-thousand acres, creating fire, smoke and travel impacts to the communities in the area.

As of August 31, the Swan Lake Fire has burned 162,179 acres of timber, shortgrass and brush in the area south of Sterling, Alaska. Seven hundred and fifty-one personnel are working the fire, and containment is reported at 28%. Estimated containment date is September 15.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 8/29/2019
Resolutions: 1km (205.9 KB), 500m (640 KB), 250m (1.8 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC