Tatlanika Fire, allowed to burn since June, now fought at 31,421 acres

The Tatlanika Fire, which the state monitored rather than fought for most of the summer, has grown to 31,421 acres in the Tanana Flats. Nineteen firefighters are now cutting 20-foot-wide fuel breaks along the southern and western edges of a Native allotment near the fire's northern edge, and crews will triage structures identified near its south end. No evacuations have been issued.

The division mobilized a response in early August, after the fire pushed northeast toward the Wood River and an adjacent military management zone. Five Fairbanks Area forestry firefighters were inserted Aug. 5, and a nine-person module from Southwest Alaska flew in Aug. 7. The division describes the current work as indirect fire suppression.

Helicopter assessments identified those structures, and crews will increase protections as needed, the division said in its Thursday update. The update did not include comment from the allotment's owner, whose land the federal government holds in trust.

The fire was first reported June 20 near the Tatlanika River and was managed under a Limited Management Option, which allows a fire to burn where it does not threaten people or property. In early July the fire was estimated at 982 acres, 39 miles southwest of Fairbanks, with no structures threatened.

Low precipitation and temperatures in the 70s and 80s continue to dry fuels, the division said, with an increase in activity on the fire's southern edge. Smoke has drifted over the Interior and may remain until winds shift.