The roads torn up fighting the Tok fire have been graded back

The roads are fixed. A grader worked the unpaved roads south of Red Fox Drive near Tok starting Sept. 4, beginning with Sourdough Drive, and finished Saturday, repairing what heavy equipment tore up while crews were fighting the Mukluk Fire. Residents need those roads to reach their properties inside the burn.

The operator cleared dirt, slash and debris out of the ditches so the culverts will not clog, and rebuilt the road crown so water drains off instead of sitting. The Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection said the goal was to leave the roads in "pre-suppression condition or better."

Two excavators ran about three miles up the eastern flank from Red Fox Drive on Friday, rehabilitating a helicopter landing area and repairing dozer line, the firebreak cut by bulldozer, and have kept working south since.

The fire started Aug. 17, has burned 7,335 acres and stands at 29 percent contained. Command is stepping down in size as the work shifts from fighting to cleaning up. A state incident management team took over Sept. 1, and a smaller local team under incoming commander Matt Durfey takes it Tuesday.