East Fork Fire

The East fork Fire started on May 31 in a limited protection area North East of the Village of St. Mary's. Lightning moved through the area on May 30 and is the likely cause  of the East Fork Fire. 

BLM AFS Galena Management Zone officials were working with Tribal, Native corporation and community to ensure the safety of the community residents. The priorities on the incident were still public and firefighter safety, and protecting sites of value, including Native allotments and cabins along the Andreafsky River and the East Fork as well as St. Mary’s and neighboring villages of Pilot Station, Pitkas Point, and Mountain Village. 

The Alaska Type 2 Incident Management Green Team took over management June 11, due to its proximity to numerous Native allotments, historical sites, and communities. An incident management team is mobilized during complex emergency incidents to provide a command and control infrastructure in order to manage the operational, logistical, informational, planning, fiscal, community, political, and safety issues associated with complex incidents. On June 12, the incident management team also took responsibility for the Apoon Pass Fire, located approximately 20 miles northwest of the East Fork Fire. The East Fork Fire was estimated at 166,587 acres and the Apoon Pass Fire was estimated at 84,138 acres. 

An Alaska Type 3 team was assembled to transition with the Alaska Green Team and took command on June 22. As of June 25, the fire was 100% contained at 166,587 acres. The remaining heat was confined to the northern edge of the fire, characterized by creeping, smoldering and backing. Fire officials had determined that the communities of St. Mary's, Pilot Station, Pitkas Point and Mountain Village were not threated by the fire.