Smokejumpers battle two wildfires near Ruby as smoke reaches village

Nearly two dozen smokejumpers and multiple water-scooping aircraft are working to fully suppress two wildfires burning about 11 miles east of Ruby, a remote Yukon River village in the Interior, with smoke from both fires visible from the community.

The Big Fire and the Cecil Fire are burning less than a mile apart along Big Creek, about 5 miles south of Ninemile Slough, in a Full protection area near Native allotments. The Big Fire covers an estimated 260 acres. The Cecil Fire covers an estimated 400 acres. Both fires were moving southeast, away from Ruby and the nearby allotments, as of late Friday.

Firefighters initially reported active fire behavior with crowning, fire burning from treetop to treetop, and spotting, sparks or embers carried by the wind ahead of the main flaming front, for both fires. By midnight, activity had decreased to isolated torching and moderate rates of spread. An order has been placed for additional crews and aircraft for Saturday.

The Full protection designation means the agency mandate is complete suppression. Smoke from both fires is visible from Ruby.

The fires were detected Friday afternoon. The Big Fire was previously called the Little Fire. The name was changed because that name had already been used for another incident this season.

Residents can reach Public Information Officer Geoff Liesik at [email protected] or (907) 356-5510. Current fire status is posted at akfireinfo.com.