Minto Lake Daily Fire Update July 5, 2022
Acres: 32,828 acres | Containment: 0% | Total personnel: 227
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: A Red Flag Warning was extended and remains in effect Tuesday for lightning and thunderstorms with minimal precipitation expected. Firefighters are available to respond should there be new fire starts.
The public is asked 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 Himalaya Subdivisions, please use caution in these areas. Vehicles on the roads and boats on the river can present additional risks to the public and to firefighters trying to protect values at risk and construct fire lines.
Operations: South of the river, fire personnel continued moving upriver assessing values at risk for protection needs. Dozer operators in conjunction with hotshot crew continue to work reopening fire lines previously used for the 2011 Hastings Fire, as well as, looking for opportunities to tie this indirect line into roads to the north. In subdivisions outside the immediate fire area, fire personnel assessed structures and developed plans for protection. Structure protection measures on the north side of the Chatanika River continue with additional hand crews being used for limbing and installing pumps and sprinklers. Great progress has been made on the protection measures around the Native allotments on the southwestern flank.
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.
Weather: Thunderstorm activity continues to be active near the fire’s perimeter, but the intensity and severity was reduced. No rain was received over the fire yesterday. The high-pressure system will continue to dominate the weather pattern. Temperatures will continue to be warm today in the mid-to-upper 70’s degrees and relative humidity will be in the mid-to-upper 30’s. The Red Flag warning was extended through this evening for thunderstorm activity around the fire.
Closures: Emergency Burn Closure are in effect please visit https://tinyurl.com/BurnClosure for more information.
The Alaska Bureau of Land Management has issued a Fire Closure Order for the White Mountain National Recreation Area. The following trails are closed: Wickersham Creek Trail, Trail Creek Trail (between the junction with Wickersham Creek Trail and the junction with Moose Creek Trail), Moose Creek Trail, and Summit Trail. The following BLM public use cabins and shelters are closed: Lee’s Cabin, Eleazar’s Cabin, Moose Creek Cabin, Summit Trail Shelter, Wickersham Creek Trail Shelter. For more information, visit https://akfireinfo.com/ or call the Fairbanks District Office at 907-474-2200. Alaska State Parks has closed the Whitefish Lake Campground and boat ramp.
Smoke: Visit https://akfireinfo.com/smoke-management/ for information about the latest Alaska smoke conditions.
Fire Information:Fire Information Office Hours: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PMPhone: 907-931-8113
Email: 2022.mintolakes@firenet.gov Online: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8182/ https://www.facebook.com/AK.Forestry/ akfireinfo.com/
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