Single Publication

Minto Lakes Daily Fire Update July 12, 2022

Acres: 37,523 acres | Containment: 0% | Total personnel: 291

Start Date: June 21, 2022, | Cause: Lightning| Location: Located between Washington Creek and the Chatanika River Fuels: Hardwoods and hardwood litter, timber, black spruce

Highlights: Yesterday, precipitation was received across the entire fire area. Rainfall amounts ranged from 0.07” to 0.97” recorded at weather stations near the incident. Fire activity has significantly diminished overall as a result of the precipitation and increased relative humidity. Heat could still hold in exceptionally dry deep duff and heavier fuels.

There will be a Minto Lakes Fire Public Meeting tonight at 7pm at the Ken Kunkel Community Center 2645 Goldstream Rd., Fairbanks AK 99709.

Please continue to limit unnecessary travel to areas around the fire perimeter where fire personnel are working. This includes the Murphy Dome area down to the MDR Boat Ramp and the Chatanika River. Equipment and fire fighters are working around the Hayes and Himilaya Subdivisions, please use caution in these areas. The fire area remains under a fuels and fire behavior advisory. Fuels and Fire Behavior Advisory.

Operations: Firefighters will continue to provide for point protection of values at risk. Crews are working to secure, improve and reinforce protection measures, as well as beginning to back haul un-needed equipment. There is a dozer line in place to protect the communities east of the fire. Along the Chatanika river moving west from the communities of the Himilaya/Hayes Creek firefighters continue to assess needs for any additional protection measures along the river. The structure protection group in the Murphy Dome area (Lincoln, Vancouver, Murphy, Martin etc.) southeast of the fire have assessed structures and developed plans for protection in the event of any spread south. Crews continue to reinforce fire line and mop up heat around the Native allotments on the southwestern flank. Resource Advisors have been assigned to the incident and two more are expected to arrive soon. They will lead the effort to identify and protect values that could be impacted by the fire.

Evacuations: For the Fairbanks North Star Borough Emergency Operations evacuation map, scan the QR code or go to https://tinyurl.com/MintoLakes. Follow the FNSB Government Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/FNSBGov) for updates and notifications. Receive FNSB Emergency Alerts via text message by texting: FNSBWildFire2022 to 67283.