Cause of Tok's Mukluk Fire stays officially under investigation

The Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection said Sunday that the official cause of Tok's Mukluk Fire has not been determined. About 20 homes in the Midnight Sun neighborhood were damaged. The division said an origin-and-cause investigation meeting national standards is meant to streamline insurance processing, disaster assistance claims and liability determinations for affected property owners.

"Initial reports for the Mukluk Fire indicated that it was a human-caused start involving powerlines," the division said in an Aug. 23 article. "However, until a thorough investigation has been completed, all potential causes analyzed, and the report finalized, the fire officially remains 'under investigation'."

The fire started Aug. 17 near Tok. It reached 7,426 acres and 12% containment with 219 personnel assigned as of an Aug. 21 briefing. Some of the damaged homes belonged to firefighters. Level 3 GO evacuations remain in effect north of the Alaska Highway from Mackenzie Trail to East 5th Street. Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued a disaster declaration for the Alaska Gateway Regional Education Attendance Area, with an Oct. 19, 2026, deadline for individual assistance applications. At a Sunday community meeting, fire managers said the south end of the fire is contained, but the Midnight Sun zone remains under a mandatory GO order for an estimated week because burned standing trees and other hazards remain. Statewide, 118 of 124 wildland fires recorded by early June were human-caused, a category covering debris burning, campfires, smoking, equipment sparks, fireworks, firearms, vehicle and structure fires, and downed powerline fires, not just arson.

DFFP fire investigator Brian Crisp leads the investigation team. He is assisted by a state park ranger wildfire investigator trainee and two veteran Cal Fire investigators. Fire management officer Kato Howard is conducting the investigation. The division said this marks its first partnership with Cal Fire on an Alaska investigation of this kind, a wildland-urban interface fire with large-scale evacuations and multiple structures damaged or destroyed. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is supplying origin-mapping technology, photogrammetry and high-resolution spatial mapping at no cost to the state. DFFP retains authority over the investigation and will keep all findings.

No utility representative or affected property owner is quoted in the division's account. The division said identifying the exact ignition mechanism will let the community and utility partners put precise preventive measures in place. No release date for the final report has been announced.