Smokejumpers respond to half-acre McCloud Fire west of Fox

No structures were threatened Wednesday afternoon as eight smokejumpers, two helicopters and one engine responded to the half-acre McCloud Fire burning 12.5 miles west of Fox and 6.5 miles north of Ester Dome, the Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection said.

The McCloud Fire, numbered 472, was first reported by an aircraft flying overhead on Wednesday, Aug. 12. The division logged the response at 2:40 p.m.

The fire is burning in black spruce, with white spruce transitioning along the north edge.

The division's public wildfire preparedness materials frame such incidents as part of a recurring challenge in fire-prone areas near the wildland-urban interface, where conditions can shift quickly and residents may need timely evacuation guidance if a small fire grows.

The division did not state a cause for the McCloud Fire. It said more information will be shared as it becomes available.