A team of six smokejumpers responded to a fire about seven miles east of Unalakleet late Tuesday evening. The firefighters were joined in the air by two water scoopers, a helicopter and reconnaissance plane.
The wildfire, now known as the Rabbit Fire #176, was first reported around 7:24 p.m. Crews from Unalakleet Volunteer Fire Department and aircraft standing by in Galena were among the first to respond to the fire.
Bureau of Land Management Public Affairs Specialist, Beth Ipsen, said campers at Unalakleet’s nearby 20-structure Covenant Bible Camp were safely evacuated.
“The camp was active and local officials did end up evacuating it as a precaution,” Ipsen said.
Ipsen said the agency’s response with multiple aircraft was normal, but that the area’s black spruce trees were cause for concern. She said 20 mile per hour sustained winds were also observed.
Ipsen said smokejumpers would first work to establish a perimeter around the fire as helicopters and water scoopers coordinated drops to extinguish the fire.
Aerial assets responding to the fire began returning to Galena around 10:30 p.m. after successfully containing the blaze.
A cause for the fire has not yet been determined.
