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The Shanta Creek Wildfire was a lightning caused forest fire that started on June 29, 2009, in the
On July 9, the fire grew to over and began moving towards lightly populated areas outside of Kasilof and
Official press releases from Fish and Wildlife Service
Map of the fire area (PDF format)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shanta Creek Fire 2009 in Alaska 2009 wildfires in the United States Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska Wildfires on the Kenai Peninsula Fires in Alaska
The Shanta Creek Wildfire was a lightning caused forest fire that started on June 29, 2009, in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge
The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife habitat preserve located on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska, United States. It is adjacent to Kenai Fjords National Park. This refuge was created in 1941 as the Kenai National Moose Range, but in ...
on the Kenai Peninsula
The Kenai Peninsula ( Dena'ina: ''Yaghenen'') is a large peninsula jutting from the coast of Southcentral Alaska. The name Kenai (, ) is derived from the word "Kenaitze" or "Kenaitze Indian Tribe", the name of the Native Athabascan Alaskan tribe ...
of Alaska
Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
. More than were burned and over 400 personnel were involved in the firefighting
Firefighting is a profession aimed at controlling and extinguishing fire. A person who engages in firefighting is known as a firefighter or fireman. Firefighters typically undergo a high degree of technical training. This involves structural fir ...
effort.
Background
During the late 1990s, the Kenai Peninsula was infested byspruce bark beetle Spruce bark beetle is a common name for several insects and may refer to:
*'' Dendroctonus micans'', the great spruce bark beetle
*'' Ips typographus'', the European spruce bark beetle
See also
* Spruce beetle
{{Animal common name
Insect common ...
s. Many thousands of acres of spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' ( ), a genus of about 40 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal (taiga) regions of the Northern hemisphere. ''Picea'' ...
trees died as a result. Although the dead trees had subsequently been mostly removed from populated areas, there were still significant stands of dead trees in wilderness areas. Southcentral Alaska
Southcentral Alaska (), also known as the Gulf Coast Region,Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, Northern Opportunity Alaska's Economic Development Strategy, 2016, at 84 (Alaska 2016). Accessed June 1, 2023. https: ...
had been experiencing an unusually warm, dry summer that contributed to optimal conditions for a fire.
Initially, firefighting efforts were not made due to the fire being naturally caused and located in a wilderness area that had been designated a "limited fire suppression area." Black spruce forests have a life cycle
Life cycle, life-cycle, or lifecycle may refer to:
Science and academia
*Biological life cycle, the sequence of life stages that an organism undergoes from conception to reproduction
*Life-cycle hypothesis, in economics
*Erikson's stages of psy ...
of about 70 years, while white spruce have a cycle of 100 years or more. The initial fire area had not burned since 1871, and therefore the burn was seen as natural and beneficial. The fire was monitored by the US Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is a U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior which oversees the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats in the United States. ...
, which manages the refuge, and was allowed to grow unchecked to over .
Firefighting efforts
On July 9, the fire grew to over and began moving towards lightly populated areas outside of Kasilof and Soldotna
Soldotna is a city in the Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. At the 2010 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 4,342, up from 4,163 in 2010. It is the seat of the Kenai Peninsula ...
. More resources were ordered to protect these areas. By June 11, over 400 persons were fighting the fire, and hotshot crew
In the United States, a Shot Crew, officially known as an Interagency Hotshot Crew (IHC), is a team of 20-25 elite wildland firefighters that mainly respond to large, high-priority fires across the country and abroad. They are assigned to work the ...
s and bulldozers were utilized to create fire break
A firebreak or double track (also called a fire line, fuel break, fireroad and firetrail in Australia) is a gap in vegetation or other combustible material that acts as a barrier to slow or stop the progress of a bushfire or wildfire. A firebre ...
s. Air tanker
Aerial firefighting, also known as waterbombing, is the use of aircraft and other aerial resources to combat wildfires. The types of aircraft used include fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Smokejumpers and rappellers are also classified a ...
s and helicopters were also used to dump water and fire retardant near homes threatened by the fire. A temporary "tent city" was established at Skyview High School to house firefighters and support staff, and a no fly zone
A no-fly zone, also known as a no-flight zone (NFZ), or air exclusion zone (AEZ), is a territory or area established by a military power over which certain aircraft are not permitted to fly. Such zones are usually set up in an enemy power's terri ...
was established around the fire area. Smoke from the fire and others blazing simultaneously in Interior Alaska
Interior Alaska is the central region of Alaska's territory, roughly bounded by the Alaska Range to the south and the Brooks Range to the north. It is largely wilderness. Mountains include Denali in the Alaska Range, the Wrangell Mountains, and ...
contributed to a visible haze of smoke over Anchorage
Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolita ...
and much of south-central Alaska. Fire managers began to take crews off the fire and reassign them after light but sustained rain fell on the fire for several days starting on July 18. By July 21, the fire had stopped expanding, and around 200 staff remained at the fire to monitor and conduct mop-up operations of remaining hot spots near populated areas.
Aftermath
On July 21, the fire was declared to be contained, and command and control were returned to the Refuge by federal fire managers. The total area burned at that time was . The overall cost of the firefighting effort was estimated at six million dollars. There were no deaths and no residences were burned.See also
* Mile 17 fire * 2007 Caribou Hills fire * Funny River Fire * Swan Lake fireReferences
Official press releases from Fish and Wildlife Service
External links
Map of the fire area (PDF format)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shanta Creek Fire 2009 in Alaska 2009 wildfires in the United States Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska Wildfires on the Kenai Peninsula Fires in Alaska