Nutmeg Fire grows fivefold near Wiseman; smokejumpers deployed

A wildfire burning 5.5 miles northwest of Wiseman grew fivefold, from roughly 200 acres to an estimated 1,000 acres, pushing through brush and marshy terrain south of Wiseman Creek. The U.S. Wildland Fire Service deployed two smokejumpers to maintain a close watch on fire behavior and report real-time conditions, with their observations helping guide assessments and any actions to protect the community, a large mining operation to the north, and cabins along Nolan Road.

The U.S. Wildland Fire Service discovered the lightning-caused Nutmeg Fire on Thursday, July 9. A reconnaissance flight confirmed the initial 200-acre estimate before the fire expanded. The fire is visible from the Dalton Highway.

Fire in a Limited Management Zone

The Nutmeg Fire is burning in a Limited Management Option area, a designation that normally allows fire to play its natural ecological role. Because of the fire's size and proximity to the community of Wiseman, the mining operation, and its visibility from the Dalton Highway, fire managers sent two smokejumpers to monitor fire behavior in real time and inform decisions about protecting Wiseman, the mine, and nearby cabins, according to the U.S. Wildland Fire Service.

Wiseman sits 63 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Residents there depend on nearby lands and access roads for subsistence and small-scale economic activity.

Management Designation and Response

The U.S. Wildland Fire Service has not changed the Nutmeg Fire's management designation. The smokejumper deployment is a monitoring and assessment measure, not a suppression order. Some observers have argued that allowing fires to burn under a limited management framework carries unacceptable risk when communities and infrastructure sit nearby, particularly as fire activity across Alaska's North Slope has drawn attention this season.

Alaska's 2026 fire season was forecast in June to produce typical fire potential through July and August. The Nutmeg Fire is one of several incidents the U.S. Wildland Fire Service has staffed this season.

Residents and Dalton Highway travelers can find updated information at akfireinfo.com. Public Affairs Specialist Beth Ipsen is the point of contact at [email protected] or (907) 356-5510.