Transfer of Command on McDonald Fire – Alaska Wildfire Information

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – After two weeks of managing efforts on the McDonald Fire, the command of the fire to a new Type 3 incident management organization occurred at 7 a.m. Tuesday. The two groups spent Monday together to ensure continuity of operations on the fire. The focus remains on protecting cabins along 5 Mile Creek and military infrastructure near Blair and Clear Creek Lakes.

The weather continues to be hot and dry on the McDonald Fire with temperatures reaching the 80s. Firefighters will explore areas east of the fire and evaluate potential opportunities to construct additional fire line to protect cabins in the 5 Mile Creek area. Crews will continue to monitor burn operations and clean out pockets of unburned fuel on the west side of these cabins. Two Alaska Department of Forestry and Fire Protection engines and the 11-person White Mountain pod will continue to patrol the Richardson Highway and adjacent subdivisions. Two lookouts will provide timely updates on fire behavior to firefighters on the ground.

The Clear Fire (#204), at 14,771 acres, is burning near military impact zones and will continue to be monitored.

The fire risk in the region remains extremely high. Fire behavior includes some crowning, where flames move from treetop to treetop.

Smoke moving into the Fairbanks area will impact air quality through Wednesday. Use caution and turn on your headlights when driving, as smoke can impair visibility.

Weather report: Another hot, dry day is expected Tuesday with high temperatures in the 80s. There is a chance of isolated thunderstorms near the fire this afternoon and evening before changing to rain showers overnight. These thunderstorms can be accompanied by dry lightning and strong, erratic winds of up to 30 mph.

Burning permit: The DOF has issued burning permit suspensions for the Fairbanks, Salcha, Delta, 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., Tuesday, June 25. Low level smoke during the evening and early morning will affect communities near the McDonald Fire. ADEC expects increased smoke production from wildfires in Canada and Alaska 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 will be updated with new schedules and published later today.

-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; fuel 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.