Wildfires
RSSAlaska wildfire incidents and response: AICC (Alaska Interagency Coordination Center), BLM Alaska Fire Service, state DOF, evacuation orders, smoke advisories, prescribed burns, fire weather, burn-area recovery.
Grader finishes restoring unpaved Tok roads torn up during Mukluk Fire suppression
A grader is repairing unpaved roads south of Tok damaged by heavy equipment during suppression of the Mukluk Fire, which has burned 7,335 acres since mid-August.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 9h ago1 min readAI
Most of what the Tok fire burned was outbuildings. Aid may not cover them.
Two-thirds of what the Mukluk Fire destroyed near Tok were outbuildings, and the only aid program for those families generally does not cover them.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago2 min readAI
Fish and Wildlife bought its ninth no-bid track loader for $248,954
Fish and Wildlife has bought nine track loaders without competitive bids since August. The ninth cost $248,954, more than any of the first eight.
by Alaska News2d ago1 min readAI
A small wildfire was reported near Wrangell on Friday night
A small wildfire was reported near Sandy Beach outside Wrangell on Friday. The state has not said whether it is contained or threatens any homes.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago1 min readAI
The Nulato Hills Crew fights fire with hand tools, from five villages
BLM awarded Nulato Hills Enterprises a second $495,000 contract to run a seasonal wildland fire crew through March 2031, drawing firefighters from five Interior villages.
by Maggie AlaskaNews5d ago2 min readAI
Alaska's smallest fire year since 1995 was also one of its most destructive
Alaska's quietest fire season in 30 years still took 50 homes at Tok, in a fire a climate specialist calls among the most destructive in state history.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4d ago2 min readAI
Fifty homes destroyed at Tok in Alaska's lightest burn year since 1995
The Mukluk Fire destroyed more than 40 homes at Tok during Alaska's lightest burn year since 1995, making it one of the most destructive fires in state history despite record-low statewide acreage.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4d ago2 min readAI
Mukluk Fire evacuation order shrinks to properties inside the burn near Tok
Residents outside the Mukluk Fire's burn near Tok can return home, but 44 destroyed homes and hazard trees keep the evacuation order in place for properties inside the fire's 7,333-acre footprint.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAI
Alaska extends fire season to Sept. 14 in Delta, Tok and Copper River areas
Burn permits will stay required two extra weeks, through Sept. 14, in the Delta, Tok and Copper River areas, after a dry summer left fuels parched at depth.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAI
Cause of Tok's Mukluk Fire stays officially under investigation
The cause of the Mukluk Fire near Tok, which damaged about 20 homes, remains under investigation — early reports pointed to power lines but aren't confirmed.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago1 min readAI
Tok fire's south end contained, but Midnight Sun stays evacuated about another week
The south end of the Mukluk Fire near Tok is contained, but the Midnight Sun neighborhood stays evacuated about another week as crews clear hazards.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago2 min readAI
Wildfire investigation opens near Tetlin at zero acres
A new wildfire is under investigation near Tetlin. The Mukluk Fire has burned over 7,000 acres and destroyed 20-plus homes, though evacuations have eased.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2w ago1 min readAI
A village-based fire crew from Nulato gets federal funding through 2031
BLM awarded Nulato Hills Enterprises $495,000 to staff a Type 2 wildland fire crew through March 2031, continuing a pattern of federal contracts that bring seasonal cash to rural Alaska villages.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago1 min readAI
Anchorage wildfire mitigation would be paid for citywide, researchers say
UA researchers will recommend all of Anchorage pay for wildfire mitigation, not just high-risk neighborhoods. Their full report is due in October.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min readAI
Drones are dropping chaff over Nenana to try to stop lightning
A Vancouver startup is dropping metallic chaff from drones over Nenana to try to stop lightning before it starts wildfires. The flights run through Sept. 30.
by Melinda Communities.News2w ago3 min readAI
Tok has no way to warn its residents, and a state coordinator says it cost houses
Tok has no townwide alarm, and a state wildfire coordinator said the gap cost houses in the Mukluk Fire. Residents said they never got a GO alert.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago3 min readAI
Mukluk Fire crews shift to southwest flank ahead of Sunday wind change
Mukluk Fire crews shifted to the southwest flank Saturday ahead of forecast northwesterly winds Sunday, with Level 3 evacuation orders still in effect north of the Alaska Highway near Tok.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min readAI
A Fort Yukon tribal crew that fights fire across the country just locked in funding through 2031
A Fort Yukon tribal fire crew — Native firefighters protecting an area larger than Texas — just locked in federal funding through 2031.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago2 min readAI
Tok evacuation order still stands after phone alert expired Tuesday
The phone alert telling parts of Tok to evacuate expired Tuesday and was not reissued. The order still stands, and the fire has crossed Red Fox Drive.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min readAI
About 20 homes damaged in the Mukluk Fire at Tok, some belonging to the firefighters
About 20 homes have burned in the Mukluk Fire at Tok, some belonging to the firefighters working it. The fire hit 5,533 acres Tuesday afternoon.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min readAI
Interior wind event hits highways as the Mukluk Fire burns near Tok
The winds that drove the Mukluk Fire near Tok hit Interior highways too, with gusts to 75 mph at Isabel Pass and a warning about the Tatlanika fire.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min readAI
Fire activity slows eastbound Alaska Highway traffic near Tok
A wildfire is affecting eastbound traffic on the Alaska Highway near Tok Tuesday morning. The road is open, with minor delays and emergency vehicles expected.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readAI
An Iñupiaq firefighter from Noorvik died fighting a Minnesota wildfire, and two states lowered their flags
Leslie R. Washington, a 41-year-old firefighter from Noorvik, died Aug. 11 during a medical emergency while fighting the Bear Trap Fire in Minnesota.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readAI
Level 3 GO evacuations ordered north of the Alaska Highway as the Mukluk Fire spreads near Tok
A fast-moving wildfire near Tok has forced residents north of the Alaska Highway to evacuate immediately, with winds gusting to 30 mph and critical fire conditions expected through Monday evening.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readAI
Tatlanika Fire still listed as 3.5 acres but agency reports put it above 31,000
Alaska 511 still lists the Tatlanika Fire at 3.5 acres, but state fire managers reported it at over 31,000 acres on August 13.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readAI
Wildland firefighters find Fairbanks man missing 19 days alive near Old Murphy Dome Road
Wildland firefighters found a 73-year-old Fairbanks man alive on Aug. 12 after he went missing for 19 days near Old Murphy Dome Road, while responding to the McCloud Fire west of the area.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3w ago2 min readAI
Tatlanika Fire, allowed to burn since June, now fought at 31,421 acres
Nineteen firefighters are cutting fuel breaks around a Native allotment as the Tatlanika Fire grows to 31,421 acres, with crews now protecting structures on the fire's south end.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3w ago2 min readAI
Researchers weigh broadening who pays for Anchorage wildfire work.
UA researchers will recommend Anchorage fund wildfire mitigation municipality-wide, not just the at-risk hillsides — but how to charge for it is unsettled.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readAI
Coal seam fire northeast of Healy grows to 71 acres with no crew assigned
A coal seam fire near Healy has grown to about 71 acres and can't be fought directly — the seam has burned underground for years, and no crew is assigned.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readAI
Smokejumpers contained the McCloud Fire at one acre, and found a lost person during the initial attack
Eight smokejumpers and two helicopters responded Wednesday to a half-acre fire burning 12.5 miles west of Fox, with no structures threatened.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readAI
Burn permits suspended in Fairbanks, Delta and Tok areas
Alaska banned burning across the Fairbanks, Tok and Delta areas as the Interior dries out and high winds approach, with the Tatlanika Fire smoking the region.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readAI
Interior faces warmest stretch of summer as Tanana Valley smoke lingers
Interior Alaska is in its warmest stretch of summer, upper 70s to low 80s, with smoke from the Tatlanika Fire — though the advisory has expired and air eased.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readAI
Anchorage is studying a new wildfire tax on every property owner as the federal money runs out
Anchorage is studying a new citywide wildfire tax — about $40 a year on an average home — as the federal grant funding its mitigation work expires in 2028.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readAI
Crews deploy to protect Native allotment near Tatlanika Fire
A remote Alaska fire left to burn has grown nearly 30-fold to 28,168 acres and now threatens a single Native allotment, drawing 14 firefighters to protect it.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
A fuel break cleared years ago helped keep the Grandview Fire out of Sterling
A fuel break cleared in 2019-20 helped keep the Grandview Fire out of Sterling — a case of wildfire prep paying off, with no injuries and no homes lost.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min readAI
Four wildfires broke out on the North Slope within 17 minutes Thursday
Four wildfires broke out on Alaska's North Slope within 17 minutes Thursday, across 40 miles of tundra, the kind of lightning-driven cluster expected to grow as the Arctic warms.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
As the world burns, Alaska stays cool — a regional weather quirk
As Spokane and Europe burn in record heat, Alaska stays cool and barely burning — a regional weather quirk. The Arctic overall still hit record-low ice.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
Alaska and Canadian crews fight a wildfire across the border
Alaska and Canadian crews are fighting a 20- to 30-acre wildfire 3 miles south of the Alcan Highway, with no evacuations or highway impacts expected.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min readAI
A cabin fire spread into a small wildfire north of Fairbanks
A cabin fire near the Chatanika River north of Fairbanks spread into a quarter-acre wildfire Sunday. Smokejumpers worked to contain it and watched it overnight.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
A $1.6 million grant to help Alaska burn on purpose, before wildfire does
A $1.6 million grant would build Alaska the fire-weather forecasting tool it lacks, so managers can safely burn off wildfire fuel before the wildfires arrive.
by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago1 min readAI