Minimal Fire Activity Observed at McDonald Fire Site – Alaska Wildfire Information

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Fire activity was minimal Tuesday in the McDonald Fire. Heavy smoke cleared over the fire, reducing the impact on the highway and surrounding areas. A reconnaissance flight over the fire revealed heat to the north near McDonald Creek. Pockets of heat were also observed in old burn areas, as well as south of Salmon Loaf and on the southern edge of the fire.

The 50-foot-wide firebreak built to protect cabins in the 5 Mile Creek area was completed Tuesday and work continues with mop-up operations along the line. A crew from eastern Montana continues to work alongside the Plumas Hotshots to protect cabins and secure the fire edge in that area. Crews will monitor fire behavior and any detections or potential flanking beyond the perimeter. Engines are patrolling the ridge and observation areas to provide information to ground crews.

Weather report: A front and its associated low pressure system will move toward the fire today. This will strengthen southwest winds with maximum gusts of 30 to 40 mph this afternoon. There is an increased risk of torrential rain expected overnight.

Burning permit: The Division of Forestry and Fire Protection has issued burn permit suspensions for the Fairbanks, Salcha, Delta, Tok and Railbelt areas. The fire hazard in these areas remains HIGH. Please check or call the Fairbanks Area Forestry Burn Permit Hotline at (907) 451-2631 for the most recent updates.

Air quality: The fires surrounding the Fairbanks North Star neighbourhood and the fires east of the Yukon Plains are actively producing smoke. During the evening and early morning hours, smoke will settle in low-lying areas, significantly impacting many communities. Heavy rain is expected to move through the region late Wednesday and into Thursday. Clouds will trap smoke in lower levels. Surface winds will carry smoke in an east-northeast direction. Air quality in the region will range from GOOD to VERY POOR, with areas downwind of the fires experiencing the greatest impacts. Fairbanks Memorial Hospital (1650 Cowles St.) has clean air rooms available for those affected by the smoke, open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Find information on how to protect yourself from wildfire smoke on the Smoke Management page at

Evacuation notice:A Level 2: SET evacuation advisory is in effect for the approximately 20 cabins located near the southeast edge of the fire, west of the Tanana River. Communities east of the Tanana River are in READY status, including Johnson Road, Canaday, Harding Lake, Salcha, the lower Salcha River, Hollies Acres and south of Birch Lake. More information and an interactive map of these areas can be found on the Fairbanks North Star District Emergency Services website.

Temporary flight restriction: New temporary flight restrictions were put in place on July 1; for more information, see: 4/6081 NOTAM Details (faa.gov).

-BLM-

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

Need public domain images to supplement media coverage of the BLM Alaska Fire Service in Alaska?

Visit our Flickr channel! For more information, visit www.blm.gov/AlaskaFireService, as well as Facebook and Twitter.

The Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service (AFS) located in Fort Wainwright, Alaska, provides wildland firefighting services on more than 240 million acres of Department of Interior and Alaska Native lands in Alaska. In addition, AFS has other statewide responsibilities including: interpreting fire management policy; overseeing the BLM Alaska Aviation program; fuels management projects; and operating and maintaining advanced communications and computer 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 Service provides wildland firefighting services for America's “Last Frontier” on an interagency basis with the State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources, USDA Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Army Alaska.

Categories: Active Wildfires, BLM Alaska Fire Service

Keywords: McDonald's fire