Notakok Fire held at 55 acres one mile from Kaltag as smokejumpers begin to stand down

The 55-acre Notakok Fire burning one mile from Kaltag entered mop-up operations Wednesday as the full U.S. Wildland Fire Service Type 2 North Star Fire Crew moved into position and eight of the 15 smokejumpers assigned to the incident demobilized.

Residents near Kaltag should expect increased aircraft and personnel activity in and out of the community as suppression work continues. Smokejumpers have hose lines running on both flanks, crews are working hot spots, and the U.S. Wildland Fire Service has stated its goal is to declare the fire contained and controlled and no longer a threat to Kaltag.

The lightning-caused fire was reported by Kaltag residents after they spotted a large smoke column. It was burning in black spruce about four miles north of the village at ignition. By Monday evening, coordinated smokejumper and water-scooping aircraft operations held it at 55 acres. It has not grown since.

Native allotments are woven through this landscape. The U.S. Wildland Fire Service noted in its updates that numerous allotments sit within three miles of the fire perimeter, with the nearest lying roughly 1.5 miles out at ignition. The chance of further spread remains low.

Weather and Conditions

Weather is working in the crews' favor. Mostly cloudy skies, rain periods, and high overnight humidity are expected to hold through the end of the week, reducing fire activity and assisting mop-up.

Coordination and Contact

The North Star Fire Crew is a Type 2 crew coordinated through the U.S. Wildland Fire Service Alaska operation based at Fort Wainwright near Fairbanks. The Alaska Interagency Coordination Center serves as the focal point for initial attack resource coordination and logistics across the state, a structure that routes smokejumpers and aviation assets to remote lightning-caused fires like this one before they reach communities.

Public Affairs Specialist Beth Ipsen is the agency contact for the incident and can be reached at (907) 356-5510.