Tok burn permits suspended starting 9 a.m. Saturday

Burn Permits Suspended for the Tok Area

Debris piles, lawn burning and burn barrels are prohibited in the Tok Fire Prevention Area starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, under a burn permit suspension issued Friday by the Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection.

The suspension has no end date. "This suspension will remain in place until conditions change," the division said. Permit holders are required to call the Tok permit hotline at (907) 883-1413 ext. 2303 for the current status.

Cooking and warming fires remain allowed. The division cited "high wildfire potential should an ember escape, a fire be left unattended or it's not completely extinguished." Campfires under three feet in diameter with flame lengths under two feet require no permit, though the Department of Environmental Conservation notes on its statewide fire restrictions page that forestry recommends against lighting any open fire until conditions improve.

State law requires burn permits for open burning on state, private and municipal lands from April 1 through Aug. 31. Tok permits were also suspended June 4, June 11 and June 18 this season.