Cause of Tok's Mukluk Fire stays officially under investigation

The cause of the Mukluk Fire near Tok, which damaged about 20 homes in the Midnight Sun neighborhood — some belonging to firefighters — has not been officially determined, the state's forestry and fire division said Sunday. Early reports pointed to power lines, but the division said all possible causes are still being analyzed before it finalizes its report.

The fire started Aug. 17 and had grown past 7,400 acres, with the south end now contained. But the Midnight Sun area stays under a mandatory evacuation order — expected to last about another week — because burned standing trees and other hazards still make it dangerous.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy has issued a disaster declaration opening state aid for residents whose homes or belongings burned, covering housing repairs, temporary housing, essential personal property and medical or funeral costs. The deadline to apply is Oct. 19, online at ready.alaska.gov or by phone at 1-844-445-7131. Tribal and community groups have warned the aid may fall short for uninsured households and be hard to reach for rural or elderly residents without internet access, and Tok residents have organized local donations to fill the gaps.

Neither a utility representative nor an affected property owner is quoted in the division's account, and no release date for the final report has been set.