Starry Fire smoke reaches Fairbanks in first major air quality event of 2026

Anderson residents remain under a GO evacuation order as the Starry Fire continues to grow near the city, pushing smoke into the Fairbanks area in what forecasters describe as the first significant wildfire smoke event of the 2026 season in central Interior Alaska.

As of 7:30 a.m. Sunday, the City of Anderson had not been cleared to return. Residents who have not yet left are advised to do so immediately. Evacuees are being directed to Tri-Valley School at 400 Suntrana Road in Healy, where the Denali Borough is coordinating shelter for displaced Anderson residents. The borough's shelter assistance line is (907) 378-7985.

The Starry Fire

The Starry Fire was reported June 20, 2026, at approximately 6:08 p.m. near the City of Anderson, burning approximately 14 miles south of Nenana in heavy black spruce and mixed hardwoods. Local fire departments and the Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection responded. Suppression resources include helicopter bucket operations, water-scooping aircraft, retardant tankers, and ground crews. The fire had grown to an estimated 700 acres by Sunday morning.

Fire managers updated the incident name to Starry Fire to avoid confusion with a separate fire earlier this season, the Star Fire near the Taylor Highway.

Broader Fire Conditions

A weather forecaster on social media noted that Sunday morning brought the first significant wildfire smoke of the year to central Interior Alaska, with PurpleAir sensor data showing poor air quality in Anderson and Nenana. That smoke is beginning to drift into the Fairbanks area. Fairbanks, home to tens of thousands of residents, lies along the smoke's transport path.

What to Do Now

The Fairbanks North Star Borough Air Quality Program advises residents not to wait for monitors to show unhealthy readings before taking precautions. "If the monitors are reading good air quality but the air is hazy and you can smell smoke, take appropriate actions such as limiting prolonged or strenuous outdoor activity," the borough's guidance says. Residents with respiratory conditions, outdoor workers, and families with children or elders are most at risk. The University of Alaska Fairbanks UAFSMOKE project provides 72-hour forecasts of smoke transport across Alaska at smoke.alaska.edu. The AirNow Fire and Smoke Map at fire.airnow.gov tracks real-time fine particle pollution from wildfires statewide.

Fairbanks Public Safety

Alaska State Troopers are also investigating two separate incidents in the Fairbanks area. At approximately 11:15 p.m. on June 20, troopers responded to Dolphin Way for a motor vehicle collision in which an unknown driver ran a vehicle off the roadway and damaged mailboxes. Witness descriptions of the driver do not match the vehicle's registered owner. The investigation is ongoing.