Selawik fuel tank farm, solar array threatened by landfill fire

A wind-driven tundra fire that escaped the Selawik landfill on Monday grew to 20 acres by evening and is burning less than a mile west of the village, directly threatening a fuel tank farm and a solar array.

The Oblaron Fire was first reported at half an acre. By 8 p.m. on July 6, it had grown rapidly, running and torching through tundra fuels. Twelve smokejumpers from Galena, an Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection air tanker loaded with retardant, and a helicopter equipped with a water bucket were all on scene. "Smokejumpers, aided by helicopters and airplanes, are working aggressively to slow the fire as it threatens nearby infrastructure and structures, including a fuel tank farm and a solar array. The fire is estimated at 20 acres and is running and torching in tundra fuels. Smokejumpers report there is no immediate threat to life," the U.S. Wildland Fire Service said in its 8 p.m. update.

The Threat to Infrastructure

Selawik has no road access. Fuel arrives by barge on a fixed seasonal schedule, and the tank farm holds the community's heating fuel and diesel for power generation. Aaron Schumacher, a smokejumper spotter with the U.S. Wildland Fire Service, was photographed looking down on the fire from above as crews worked to slow its advance toward those structures.

A Pattern at the Landfill

The fire's origin at the landfill follows a pattern seen elsewhere in western Alaska this season. A landfill fire outside Ambler ignited the Kopshesut Fire in early June, which burned roughly 1,500 acres before crews brought it to partial containment.

The U.S. Wildland Fire Service said additional information would be released as it becomes available.