Fuel breaks cut at allotment edges of 31,421-acre Tatlanika Fire

Nineteen firefighters are cutting 20-foot-wide fuel breaks along the southern and western edges of a Native allotment near the Tatlanika Fire's northern edge. The fire has grown to 31,421 acres in the Tanana Flats. Crews are plumbing hose and pumps along the new break. The fire continues to burn between Tatlanika Creek on the west and the Wood River on the northeast.

Helicopter assessments flown by Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection firefighters have identified structures near the fire's south end. Crews will triage those structures and increase protections as needed, the division said in its Thursday update. The allotment's owner could not be reached for comment, and the division's update did not include comment from a tribal representative.

No evacuations have been issued. No additional infrastructure or communities are currently threatened.

The fire was first reported June 20 near the Tatlanika River and has been managed under a Limited Management Option, which allows a fire to burn where it does not threaten people or property. "Under a Limited Management Option, it was originally in an area that had no immediate threats to life or property," the division said. The agency describes the burning as allowing natural ecological processes and environmental benefits to occur. 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.