Grader finishes restoring unpaved Tok roads torn up during Mukluk Fire suppression

Road repairs near Tok are finished. A grader worked the unpaved roads south of Red Fox Drive from Sept. 4, starting with Sourdough Drive, and finished Saturday, after heavy equipment tore into them during Mukluk Fire suppression. Residents need these roads to reach properties in the burn area.

The Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection said the operator cleared dirt, slash and debris from ditches so culverts do not clog, and restored road crown so water drains properly. "Grading will continue Saturday to restore roads to their pre-suppression condition or better," the division said Sept. 5. It reported the work complete the next day.

The fire started Aug. 17, has burned 7,335 acres and remains 29% contained. Two excavators traveled about three miles up the eastern flank from Red Fox Drive on Friday, rehabilitating a helicopter landing area and repairing dozer line, the bulldozer-cut firebreak, and have continued south.

A Type 3 incident management team, the state organization running the fire, took command Sept. 1. A local Type 4 team under incoming Incident Commander Matt Durfey takes over Tuesday. The accounting comes entirely from the division's bulletins.