A total of 20 wildland firefighters comprising employees from the Indiana DNR, Indiana Department of Homeland Security, The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Parks Service and Hoosier National Forest recently traveled to Alaska for a 14-day assignment to assist with wildland fire operations in the Upper Yukon Zone.
The crew was initially assigned to the Hadweenzic River Fire within the Cornucopia Complex and then reassigned to the Chandalar River Fire. These fires were located near the villages of Fort Yukon and Veneite.
The firefighters worked to remove hoses and water pumps from fire lines as the fires reached containment levels. Due to a lack of road infrastructure, crews, equipment, and supplies were all transported via helicopters or boats.