NARRATIVE REPORT - 1958 FIRE NO. 10

Fire No. 10 was reported at 3:30 PM, on May 23, 1958. The Forest Engineer proceeded by car directly to investigate the report leaving the suppression crew to load equipment, obtain more firefighters and follow. Some difficulty was experienced in locating the fire but it was finally found and the Forest Engineer walked into it and examined it. It appeared at that time to be about three acres in size but was very spotty due to high winds. There was lots of water in the vicinity, however and it did not appear too difficult a fire to extinguish. While returning to the road to locate and instruct the firefighting crew a heavy gale blew up and the fire flared up considerably. By the time the crew were located it was dark and the gale made travelling through the old burn along the route very dangerous so it was decided to camp and go in to the fire at first light.

The fire was controlled next day and extinguishing and patrol continued until May 271 1958 by which time no fire had bean found for two days, The weather remained hot and windy, The fire was checked periodically and nothing observed until Sunday, June 22, when the fire was reported burning again. This time the situation appeared rather hopeless for suppression. No water remained having all been dried up in the intervening hot dry weather. The fire was spotted everywhere - no continuous firelines to speak of - existed at all. It was believed that, in view of the fire already burning the poor chance of successful suppression and the fact that spread toward the highway appeared unlikely at that time, no attempt at suppression should be made, The fire had at that time burned to approximately a square mile in size.

During the next two weeks the fire burned eastward acres high, barren ground and by Tuesday, July 8th, it appeared to threaten the Army maintenance camp at Stoney Creek, M.P. 956, Alaska Highway. On this date however a new fire, originating at the maintenance camp, broke out and rapidly reached a very large size. Fire No. 10 gradually burned toward and joined this fire, Fire No. 61. On July 23. Warden Langevin of Haines Junction undertook to control the spread of the fire westward along the Alaska Highway, This effort was successful.

N.B.- Map #1 is the fire to originally controlled,

Map #2 shows Warden Langevin’s work.

Map #3 shows the final extent of the fire.