Single Publication

McDonald Fire resources shift to meet challenges from the increased fire behavior

Size:  30,591 acres
Personnel:  57
Start Date: June 8, 2024
Cause:  Lightning

Updated information at 4:40 p.m., June 17, 2024: Two Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection engines are patrolling the Richardson Highway across the Tanana River from the fire’s most active northern edge. Winds are pushing the fire, burning through black spruce on the river’s west side near Salcha, creating a visible pyrocumulus cloud. These clouds form from the extreme heat of the fire rising rapidly through the atmosphere.

Updated information at 3:20 p.m., June 17, 2024: As predicted, the McDonald Fire became active Monday afternoon when thunderstorm south of the fire increased winds and pushed the fire to the north. A large column of smoke is very visible from the surrounding area as the fire burns through black spruce in the Tanana Flats Training Area south of Fairbanks. No structures are threatened and the fire is still west of the Tanana River.

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – (Original information for June 17, 2024) As expected with the warmer, sunny weather Saturday, fire behavior picked up on the McDonald Fire Saturday with smoldering and group torching in some areas. The fire burned through a few pockets of unburned vegetation resulting some visible smoke. There are two designated firefighters at lookouts on the east side of the fire feeding timely fire behavior updates to other firefighters. Forecasted weather includes more sunny skies, high temperatures and lower humidity for the next two to three days. Fire danger remains high in the area.

The Midnight Suns Hotshots cut a quarter mile of direct line Saturday on the southeast corner where the fire burned closest to the first cabin on the 5 Mile Creek. They are mopping up and putting out any hot spots from the fire along this line to prevent this section from moving south toward the cabins. This will provide additional protection to the cabins that have been prepped with sprinklers and removal of nearby burnable vegetation. As the day heats up, firefighters will use the sprinkler systems to wet down the area around cabins. Other tasks today include clearing fallen and weakened trees from 5 Mile Creek, assuring safe access and egress from the east side of the fire.

The Division of Forestry & Fire Protection’s (DOF) Pioneer Peak Hotshots will transition from fuels mitigation projects at the Harding Lake State Park work on the McDonald Fire Monday. Five smokejumpers will demobilize so they can be ready for any new fires throughout the state. Additionally, another 10 smokejumpers are being ordered from the Lower 48 to bring the total to 30 additional smokejumpers to support initial wildfire response in Alaska.

The DOF Gannett Glacier crew continues completing fuels mitigation at Harding Lake State Park and is ready to respond to any new starts in the Interior.

Weather: Sunday expect mostly sunny skies with some haze and smoke throughout the day. Isolated showers may move through the area with a slight chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Expected high temperatures will be around 79 degrees with minimum humidity of 30% and light westerly winds 5 to 6 mph in the afternoon. Gusty and erratic winds are expected near thunderstorms in the afternoon.

Burn Permits: The Division of Forestry and Fire Protection (DOF) has issued Burn Permit Suspensions for Fairbanks, Salcha, Tok and Railbelt areas. The fire danger in these areas remains HIGH. Please check https://dnr.alaska.gov/burn/fireareas or call the burn permit hotline for the Fairbanks Area Forestry at (907) 451-2631 for the most current updates.

Air Quality:  No active advisories are currently in effect. Find information on how to protect yourself from wildfire smoke at the Smoke Management page on akfireinfo.com.

Evacuation notices:  The Fairbanks North Star Borough (FNSB) issued a Level 2: SET evacuation notice for the approximately 20 cabins that are near the fire’s southern edge. The FNSB also put areas along the lower Salcha River, Harding Lake, Hollies Acres, and Canaday neighborhoods in a READY status. Find more information and an interactive map of these areas on the Fairbanks North Star Borough Emergency Services website.

-BLM-

Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Fire Service, P.O. Box 35005 1541 Gaffney Road, Fort Wainwright, Ak 99703

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The Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service (AFS) located at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, provides wildland fire suppression services for over 240 million acres of Department of the Interior and Native Corporation Lands in Alaska. In addition, AFS has other statewide responsibilities that include: interpretation of fire management policy; oversight of the BLM Alaska Aviation program; fuels management projects; and operating and maintaining advanced communication and computer systems such as the Alaska Lightning Detection System. AFS also maintains a National Incident Support Cache with a $18.1 million inventory. The Alaska Fire Service provides wildland fire suppression services for America’s “Last Frontier” on an interagency basis with the State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources, USDA Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Military in Alaska.