Single Publication

Size: 72,157 acres                                                                                                Location: 6 miles west of Anderson, Alaska
Completion: 56%                                                                                                Personnel: 557
Start Date: June 21, 2022                                                                                Cause: Natural, Lightning
Fuels: A mix of tundra, brush, hardwood, and black spruce                          

Summary: Over the past week, the immediate threat to values at risk has been significantly curbed by weather, and fire activity has been minimal. This has allowed fire managers to confirm conditions more thoroughly on the ground. As a result, there are changes to today’s map that reflect what was found in this reconnaissance. Changes can be seen in the northwest and northeast sections of the fire. Crews have found spots west of the Teklanika River in Div A/O. In Div B, ground resources are confirming that slough areas are effectively acting as natural barriers to fire spread. Fire managers agree these conditions warrant the perimeters in Divs A/O/B remain in uncontained status. It will take a season-ending event to fully stop the consumption of deep duff fuels. Sustained precipitation will eventually foster containment in this area.

Weather: Skies are cloudy today with temperatures in the mid-60s and there is a 40 percent chance of rain with relative humidity of 57 percent. Winds are out of the southwest at 12 mph. The extended forecast shows continued cloudy and cool conditions through the coming week. Fire behavior continues to be minimal, primarily smoldering.

Operations: In Branch I, operational resources on the northwest edge of the fire are spiked out in an area accessible only by boat or aircraft. They are implementing point protection tactics as needed and patrolling the fire’s edge for any heat and spots. This area should transition to mostly mop-up and patrol in the coming week. In Div B to the northeast, firefighters will scout to confirm the slough areas continue to act as natural barriers to fire spread.

Branch II is focused on patrol and mop-up in Div G while backhauling excess supplies. Crews used hoses, pumps, fold-a-tanks, and sprinkler systems to suppress the fire and protect structures. When this equipment is no longer needed, firefighters and ground support begin accounting for and backhauling it to the incident command post (ICP). At ICP, incident staff and camp crews inventory and package the used equipment for shipping back to the fire cache in Fairbanks to be refurbished, and redeployed to other incidents as needed.

In Div K to the south of Kobe Ag, firefighters are mopping up and backhauling. Crews are dismantling dozer berms and still finding some latent heat in these areas of deeper soil but uncovering them allows them to cool and diminish.

A new division, Div M, was created to focus on protection and suppression efforts around structures and other values in the southern part of the fire. Today, two hotshot crews have been deployed in Div M to improve access points and make plans for structure protection. They are using the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) to assist with this reconnaissance and detect hot spots. Fire managers will ensure that crews are supported logistically and safely in this area before inserting them for longer periods.

Another new division, Div N, encompasses the west flank of the fire. In this area, the Teklanika River and surrounding vegetation act as natural barriers to prevent fire spreading to the west. This area will be monitored for any needs.

Sheltering & Evacuations: Contact the Denali Borough at (907) 683-1330, visit denaliborough.org or follow www.facebook.com/denali.borough Fire Loss & Suppression Repair: Contact the Denali Borough at (907) 683-1330

Other Fire Information: Alaska Fire Information, (907) 356-5511; akfireinfo.com, and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/AK.Forestry and www.facebook.com/BLMAFS