Nutmeg Fire near Wiseman hits 1,000 acres; federal managers let it burn

Residents near Wiseman, Dalton Highway travelers, and a mining operation to the north are seeing smoke and aviation activity as a lightning-caused wildfire about 5.5 miles northwest of Wiseman has grown to approximately 1,000 acres since it was discovered Thursday, July 9. No immediate structure threats are reported.

The Nutmeg Fire sits inside a Limited Management Option zone. "Fires in these areas are monitored and allowed to perform their natural ecological role," the U.S. Wildland Fire Service said in a July 10 update. A reconnaissance flight initially estimated the fire at roughly 200 acres before it grew to about 1,000 acres, burning in brush and marshy areas south of Wiseman Creek. Because of the fire's proximity to Wiseman, a mining operation to the north, and visibility from the Dalton Highway, managers sent two smokejumpers to watch fire behavior near Wiseman Creek and Nolan Road. Fires in these areas are not automatically suppressed unless values at risk change.

Some online fire maps may lag behind official agency estimates or show placeholder values. One source lists 150 acres; another shows zero. Neither reflects the agency's 1,000-acre figure. The U.S. Wildland Fire Service posts updates at Alaska Wildland Fire Information, akfireinfo.com.