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Steady progress continues to protect cabins near the McDonald Fire

By BLM Alaska Fire Service on June 14, 2024

Size: 32,725.9 acres

Personnel: 49

Start Date: June 8, 2024

Cause: Lightning

aerial view of small amounts of smokedrifting up from a forest fire — Minimal activity observed on the McDonald Fire on Thursday

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The McDonald Fire experienced thunderstorms with lightning and an estimated .15 inch of rain Thursday night. A flight over the fire Thursday afternoon showed minimal fire activity – smoldering and creeping – with some smoke on the northern edge. No fire growth was observed. The fire remains west of the Tanana River.

Isolated to scattered showers will continue the rest of Friday with widely scattered thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening. These thunderstorms could have strong and gusty winds, small hail, and lightning. A portable weather station was set up Thursday to provide a more accurate weather forecast for the fire area closest to where firefighters are working.

BLM Alaska Fire Service Smokejumpers, the Midnight Sun Hotshot Crew and the Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection (DOF) White Mountain module continue working on structure protection on cabins to the south the fire along 5 Mile Creek. This includes more cutting and clearing around the cabins to create defensible space. Smokejumpers reached the last two remote cabin sites Thursday and will start working on constructing protection measures Friday.

Firefighters are removing fire-weakened trees along the creek to prevent blowdown that would block access and egress to the area. Keeping the creek clear will allow safe travel for firefighters and for the cabin owners after firefighters leave.

DOF has 42 personnel staged near the McDonald Fire at Harding Lake. These crews, the Pioneer Peak Hotshots and Gannet Glacier, continue fuels mitigation work at the Harding Lake State Park and are prepared to quickly respond to any new starts in the Interior.

Weather Forecast: Thunderstorms will end before midnight, but isolated to scattered showers will continue into Saturday morning. Warmer and drier conditions are expected over the weekend with a slight chance of evening thunderstorms. A high temperature of 69 degrees with a low humidity of 40% is expected for Friday.

Burn Permits: There are no DOF burn suspensions for the area. Please check https://dnr.alaska.gov/burn/fireareas or call the burn permit hotline for the Fairbanks Area Forestry at (907) 451-2631 for the most current updates.

Air Quality: The Alaska Department of Conservation Air Quality Advisory for the Central and Eastern Alaska has expired and none are issued for this area. Find information on how to protect yourself from wildfire smoke at the Smoke Management page on akfireinfo.com.

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

-BLM-

Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Fire Service, P.O. Box 35005 1541 Gaffney Road, Fort Wainwright, Ak 99703

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The Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service (AFS) located at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, provides wildland fire suppression services for over 240 million acres of Department of the Interior and Native Corporation Lands in Alaska. In addition, AFS has other statewide responsibilities that include: interpretation of fire management policy; oversight of the BLM Alaska Aviation program; fuels management projects; and operating and maintaining advanced communication and computer systems such as the Alaska Lightning Detection System. AFS also maintains a National Incident Support Cache with a $18.1 million inventory. The Alaska Fire Service provides wildland fire suppression 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 the U.S. Military in Alaska.