A wildfire that started in a village landfill has burned to within a mile of Ambler — and warmer weather is coming

The Kopshesut Fire — Alaska's only staffed wildfire — is burning a mile west of Ambler, where it ignited at the village landfill six days ago. Firefighters have brought it to 40% containment, but warmer weather this week could push it back into active behavior, and the wind direction could carry smoke directly into the Northwest Arctic community.

The fire has burned roughly 1,447 acres of black spruce, mixed hardwoods, and tundra grass. During the initial response, wind pushed it southeast toward the Kobuk River rather than into town — a break that likely saved Ambler from a direct flame threat. The fire did burn through a nearby Native allotment.

Fifty-six firefighters are now working the perimeter, including the Midnight Sun Hotshots and the North Star Fire Crew. They're in mop-up mode — digging out smoldering pockets and cooling them with water until the ground is cold to the touch. The fire hasn't burned deeply into the ground, which makes mop-up faster than it would be later in the summer when deeper organic layers dry out.

The complication is the landfill. Because the fire started in burning trash, the smoke isn't ordinary wildfire smoke. The U.S. Wildland Fire Service has flagged a "considerable concern" about the noxious mix of wildfire particles and combustion products from the landfill — a public health risk especially serious for Elders, young children, and anyone with heart or respiratory conditions. So far the smoke hasn't drifted significantly into Ambler. That could change with the forecast westerly winds and rising temperatures.

The weather is turning. Crews reported temperatures around 35 degrees Tuesday morning, with light snow over the weekend and northerly winds keeping fire behavior subdued. By Wednesday, the forecast calls for temperatures in the 60s and humidity dropping near critical levels. Vegetation across the area is already extremely dry. Afternoon flare-ups within the perimeter are expected as the fire works through unburned pockets of fuel inside the control lines.

For Ambler residents, smoke is the immediate threat — both the visible kind that may drift in if winds shift, and the kind already settling into the air around the fire's edge. The U.S. Wildland Fire Service is pointing residents to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation's wildfire smoke air quality page for monitoring. Even after the fire is contained and controlled, smoke could continue as lingering heat burns through interior pockets.