Crews repair Mukluk Fire dozer lines to limit thaw-related erosion; road restoration is finished

Two excavators traveled roughly three miles up the eastern flank of the Mukluk Fire on Friday, Sept. 4, to begin replacing soil that dozers pushed into berms during the fight for Tok. The Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection said the work restores natural contours and reduces the risk of thaw-related erosion in permafrost areas. An engine worked ahead of the excavators to cool hot spots in the berms.

A dozer line is a firebreak scraped to bare soil. Crews repaired about a quarter mile of it on Friday and about a mile more on Saturday, working south from Red Fox Drive.

A road grader began working through the unpaved road system south of Red Fox Drive on Friday, starting with Sourdough Drive. The division said Saturday that the grading was complete. "Roads will be left in the same or better condition than before suppression activities began," the division said in its Sept. 4 update.

Tok residents whose homes or property were damaged or destroyed have until Oct. 19, 2026, to apply for state disaster assistance through the 2026 August Tok Fire Disaster program.

The fire started Aug. 17 and burned 7,335 acres. Containment stands at 29 percent. A structure assessment released Aug. 30 confirmed 50 single residences and 108 outbuildings, garages, sheds and workshops destroyed. Evacuation orders were lifted Aug. 29, and the fire has stayed inside its footprint since Aug. 27.

Woody debris pulled off ATV trails has been piled north of the Midnight Sun Road and Red Fox Drive intersection. The Tok Forestry Office plans to burn the piles this winter, when conditions allow.

Thirty-seven personnel remain assigned to the fire. Fire season in the Delta, Tok and Copper River protection areas runs through 11:59 p.m. Sept. 14, which keeps burn permit rules in force. The division asks drivers on area roads to give heavy equipment room and follow crew directions. The Mukluk Fire information line, (907) 505-0362, is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Every account of the repair work comes from the division's own daily updates.