Ambler fire reaches 30% containment with 70 firefighters deployed

The Kopshesut Fire burning about a mile west of Ambler reached 30% containment as of Monday, with nearly 70 firefighters working the edges and mopping up the 1,500-acre blaze. The fire started June 4 at the village landfill and burned near the Northwest Arctic community before crews brought it to the current containment level.

Winds pushed the fire southeast toward the Kobuk River rather than directly into town, keeping flames away from Ambler. Initial response crews estimated the fire at 300 to 400 acres during the June 4 attack.

Smokejumpers, the Midnight Sun Hotshots, North Star crew, and water scoopers have dropped over 100,000 gallons on the fire. Satellite mapping shows the fire at roughly 1,500 acres, though much of that figure reflects improved intelligence rather than rapid new spread. The fire is burning early-season black spruce, which has not yet reached the intensity it could later in the year.