A wildfire came within a mile of Kaltag — then crews stopped it

A wildfire that came within a mile of Kaltag has been stopped, holding at 55 acres after crews jumped on it fast.

The lightning-caused Notakok Fire ignited July 6 about four miles north of the village and pushed toward it through black spruce, with numerous Native allotments within three miles. Kaltag residents raised the alarm, spotting a column of smoke rising nearby. Fifteen smokejumpers and water-scooping aircraft worked through the night to hold the line, backed by a ground crew, and by July 8 crews had hose lines on both flanks and were mopping up. Rain, cloud cover, and high humidity were expected to keep it quiet.

With the fire held and the threat to Kaltag easing, crews were working toward declaring it contained.