Single Publication

Bean Complex Wildfire Fact Sheet

Tuesday, August 2, 2022 at 10:30 a.m.

All seven fires on the Bean Complex are now unstaffed and will be monitored by air. Equipment and supplies are being hauled from Manley Hot Springs to the BLM Alaska Fire Service Cache in Fairbanks. Cleaning of facilities in Manley Hot Springs is underway before they’ll return to regular use as fire personnel depart. Rain showers are expected throughout the day on Tuesday and into the evening with the possibility of isolated thunderstorms after 4 p.m. Fire activity remains smoldering and minimal. Subsurface hotspots remained scattered and are expected to continue to smolder until larger amounts of rain extinguish the fires.

The dispatch center and fire cache at BLM AFS facilities in Fairbanks remain busy as field work gets close to completion on the Bean Complex. Dispatch has a critical role in firefighting operations by keeping track of people and connecting resources on the ground and in the air.  Fire personnel stay in constant contact with dispatch via the radio and provide updated location information. In return, dispatchers provide firefighters with safety check-ins, weather reports and details on operations.  As firefighting operations wrap up on the Bean Complex, dispatchers put in long hours arranging flights and other means of transportation to safely deliver everyone back home. This task has been challenging with the large number of fires in Alaska this season. The fire cache is another facility that continues to be busy as the fire slows down. Equipment and supplies like pumps and hoses are stored and ready for fires when they are needed. Following use on the fire, this equipment is brought back to the cache to be cleaned, refurbished, and prepared for the next fire. Fire cache employees work very hard to send out and receive this equipment. The dispatch center and the fire cache are important to the success of wildfire suppression.

The seven fires total 197,255 acres, 81 people assigned, and reporting 98% completion.

The Tanana River Fire (#310), is 14 miles southeast of Manley Hot Springs and north of the Tanana River. It is unstaffed and in monitor status. The fire is 25,223 acres in size.

The Bitzshitini Fire (#312), is 23 miles southwest of Manley Hot Springs and south of the Tanana River. It is unstaffed and in monitor status. The fire is 71,266 acres in size.

The Chitinana Fire (#315), south of the Tanana River about 21 miles southeast of Tanana and 20 miles southwest of Manley Hot Springs. It is unstaffed and in monitor status. The fire is 100,246 acres in size.

The Hutlinana Fire (#327), is located north of the Tanana River roughly 10 miles east of Manley Hot Springs and is 407 acres. It is unstaffed and in monitor status.

The Rock Fire (#557), is located 6 miles north of Eureka and is 1 acre. It is unstaffed and in monitor status.

The Elephant Fire (#561), is located 6 miles northeast of Eureka and is 110 acres. It is unstaffed and in monitor status.

The Cosna Bluff Fire (#564), is located 19 miles southwest of Manley Hot Springs and is 2 acres. It is unstaffed and in monitor status.

For more information, contact Bean Complex Information at email: 2022.bean@firenet.gov; or 907-921-2454