Greaves tells of Alaskan wildfires

By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
Forest Ranger William Greaves, of the Maine Forest Service, spent most of July miles away from Aroostook County, in a remote area of Alaska, where he assisted other firefighters battling an out-of-control wildfire.
The Stuart Creek 2 fire began on June 19, within the military artillery impact area, 25 miles east of North Pole, Alaska. The 87,064-acre fire was last reported to be 71 percent contained, as of Aug. 19 when updates were discontinued. “We left on July 5 and returned July 23. I served as interagency resource rep. I had eight- to 20-person crews from the eastern area of the U.S. It was my job to see that all their needs were taken care of,” said Greaves, who made the trip to Alaska with his son, Brandon Greaves of Littleton, and Levi Prosser of Houlton.
He said it was his job to oversee medical care paperwork and see that their equipment needs were filled, as well as logistical needs.
“We’re the connection between them being on the fire line and everything away from the fire line. Whether it was boot repairs, special diets or what have you, I took care of all their human resource needs,” he said. “It was my job to see the eight crews were well taken care of while there.”
Greaves said one crew from Maine was from Moosehorn Wildlife Refuge.
“It was a federal crew — a 20-person crew from Calais. We had folks from all over. We had a crew from central Maine; the rest were from Moosehorn or southern Maine,” he said.
Greaves said it’s likely the fire will continue well into the fall.
“Permafrost goes deep in the ground. It’s spungy material. While we were there, there was a heavy rain event. Five days later the fire ran across the line. We had a 100-acre spot fire. The fire’s expected to go until snowfall,” he said.
“The fire started on Fort Wainright, the military base. It’s under investigation,” said Greaves.
Greaves said firefighters suffered typical injuries due to conditions.
“The reports were mostly dehydration and exposure. It’s a very difficult assignment in Alaska. Once we established a campsite, food and supplies were brought in by helicopter. We literally had to camp out on the fire line. We were cut off from amenities. We had to cut our own food, make our own provisions; it was a unique situation,” said Greaves.
The firefighters’ only contact with the outside world, according to Greaves, was a radio.
“For this particular incident, we went by boat across the Chena River, then had to hike in to set up camp. Then we did swing loads to send equipment, tents, food. It was a remote spot; we were stuck there rain or shine,” Greaves said.
He said firefighters were able to protect residents in the remote region from the devastating wildfire.
“We had to evacuate two communities. But we didn’t have any serious injuries while I was there that I can recall,” said Greaves.