Donnelly Training Area Prescribed Burns

The US Army Alaska and the Bureau of Land Management’s Alaska Fire Service will conduct multiple prescribed burns in the Donnelly Training Area near Delta Junction. Spring 2008 burn projects include the Buffalo Drop Zone, Wills Range Complex, Texas Range, Bolio Lakes and the Oklahoma Range.

The 575 acre Buffalo Drop Zone and a 50 acre parcel in the Wills Range were successfully burned April 23. Other prescribed burns will occur between May 2 and early June as weather and military training schedules allow.

The purpose of the burns is to reduce areas of brush and cured grass to assist in preventing serious wildfires from occurring as a result of military training activities. The size of the individual burns will vary. The Oklahoma Range covers about 48,500 acres and the other areas cover about 6,000 acres.

Firefighters from the Alaska Fire Service and Fort Wainwright will be present to monitor and hold the fire at fire lines and other boundaries. Smoke may be visible near Delta Junction as a result of the burning operations.

For more information about prescribed fires, contact the Fire Information Office at the Alaska Fire Service, 907-356-5511 or visit the BLM Alaska Fire Service website