Rainy Weather Expected Today on McDonald Fire – Alaska Wildfire Information

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The McDonald Fire received west-southwest winds Wednesday, with gusts reaching 35 mph. Fire behavior was moderate due to higher humidity yesterday and smoke was present on the highway throughout the day. A reconnaissance flight found heat along the northern edge, with most of the heat in the northeast corner, which corresponds with the wind direction. Perimeter growth was minimal, with the gain in total acreage attributed to the fire consuming unburned pockets within.

Crews have secured approximately 50 feet of fireline depth along most of the line in the 5 Mile Creek area and will continue mopping up and securing the edge of the fire. Several crews reported tree fall in the areas they were working. The potential for fire weakened trees to fall is high and firefighters should be aware of these hazards while working on the line. Rain is expected in the area today, so operations will be weather and safety dependent. Crews will monitor fire behavior for any detection or potential flanking beyond the perimeter. A pod has multiple lookouts and vehicles are patrolling the ridge and lookout areas as well as Richardson Highway to provide information to crews on the ground.

Weather report: Rain is expected today with southwest winds of 5 to 7 mph. Temperatures are expected to be between 50 and 60 mph. This should reduce fire activity.

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: Cooler temperatures and rain expected today and through the weekend should help moderate smoke production. This should continue the overall trend of improving air quality. However, due to the amount of fires on the landscape and wind, there may be periods of increasing smoke until significant wetting rain arrives. Winds will continue to blow from the southwest today, pushing smoke northeast. Persistent smoke may enhance the fog that forms and affect visibility. Fairbanks Memorial Hospital (1650 Cowles St.) has clean air rooms for those affected by 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

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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