Burning Operations Complete on the McDonald Fire – Alaska Wildfire Information

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – McDonald Fire firefighters have completed burning operations on the south side of the fire, west of the 5 Mile Creek cabins. Burning operations remove combustibles between at-risk values ​​and active fire. Hotshot crews will create an emergency fire line on the east side of the 5 Mile Creek Cabins. The cabins were prepared by firefighters with sprinkler systems to water the area and nearby vegetation was removed. Smokejumpers prepare military infrastructure in the Clear Creek area by removing hazardous fuels and installing sprinklers, pumps and hoses, in case the fire reaches these sites. Firefighters continue to patrol the Richardson Highway corridor and adjacent subdivisions. Three lookouts were set up to inform firefighters on the ground.

Lightning ignited two new fires on military land Friday, about 15 miles northwest of the McDonald Fire. Fire 204 was 300 acres with an active perimeter and continuous fuel upwind of the fire with high potential to spread. Fire 205 covered one acre with an active perimeter of 30%. Firefighters will assess military infrastructure to the north for structure protection operations. These fires burn near military impact zones. Due to the risk posed by unexploded ordnance, these fires will remain unattended.

Please use caution and turn on your headlights when driving on the Richardson Highway as smoke may impair visibility. The fire risk in the region remains extremely high.

Weather report: Near red flag conditions are expected Saturday afternoon and possibly again Sunday afternoon. Sunny, dry and very warm conditions are expected during the fire Saturday into Monday. Conditions will continue to warm and dry over the next week.

Burning permit: The DOF has issued burn permit suspensions for the Fairbanks, Salcha, Tok and Railbelt areas. The fire risk in these areas remains HIGH. Please call the Fairbanks Area Forestry Burn Permit Hotline at (907) 451-2631 for the most current updates.

Air quality: An Air Quality Advisory from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) is in effect for central and eastern Alaska due to smoke from wildfires up at 2 p.m. Sunday. Light smoke will affect communities near the McDonald Fire. During the evening, smoke will settle into apartments, impacting more communities in the area. ADEC expects increased smoke production from wildfires in Canada, Northeast Alaska, and McGrath during the advisory period. Find information on how to protect yourself from wildfire smoke on the Smoke Management page at

Evacuation notice: The Fairbanks North Star Borough (FNSB) has issued a Level 2 Evacuation Notice: SET for the approximately 20 cabins located near the southern edge of the fire. FNSB also has areas along the lower Salcha River neighborhoods, Harding Lake, Hollies Acres, Canaday, Salcha and Johnson Road in a READY status. Find more information and an interactive map of these areas on the Fairbanks North Star Borough Emergency Services website.

Temporary flight restriction: The location is 30 nautical miles southeast of Fairbanks to provide a safe environment for firefighting aircraft. The TFR is displayed at

-BLM-

Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Fire Department, PO Box 35005 1541 Gaffney Road, Fort Wainwright, Ak 99703

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The Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service (AFS), located in Fort Wainwright, Alaska, provides wildland fire suppression services on more than 240 million acres of Department of the Interior and Native Corporation lands in Alaska. In addition, the AFS has other statewide responsibilities, including: interpreting fire management policy; oversight of the BLM Alaska Aviation program; fuels management projects; and the operation and maintenance of advanced communications and computing systems such as the Alaska Lightning Detection System. AFS also maintains a national incident support cache with an inventory of 18.1 million. The Alaska Fire Department provides wildland fire suppression services for America's “Last Frontier” on an interagency basis with the State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Forest Service USDA, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Army Alaska.