Significant smoke was seen yesterday on both the Boundary River (#362) and McArthur Creek (#133) fires burning southeast of Tok as a result of another hot, dry day that stoked fire behavior.

There was some additional growth on the northwest corner of the Boundary River Fire while a helicopter rappeler crew continued to attack hotspots on the northeastern corner in an attempt to keep the fire west of the Nabesna River. Additional crews are still cutting protection lines around Native allotments north of the fire in the event the fire reaches them.

The lightning-caused Boundary River Fire started on June 23 and is located approximately 40 miles southeast of Tok. The fire is currently estimated at 15,350 acres with 0 percent containment, according to the Alaska Division of Forestry. The McArthur Creek Fire was started by lightning on May 21 and is burning along the Alaska/Canada border about 40 miles to the east of the Boundary River Fire. The fire is burning in a limited protection area and is being monitored. It is currently estimated at 15,000 acres.

On the Boundary River Fire, two jet boats are ferrying supplies and crews along the Nabesna River as they work to fortify the fire perimeter along the river. Helicopters are being used to transport firefighters and supplies to other parts of the fire.

A team from the National Incident Management Organization (NIMO) will be assuming command of the fire on Tuesday following an inbrief in Tok today. There is a public meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. today in the village of Northway.

A temporary flight restriction remains in effect over the fire area, which includes drones. More information on the TFR can be found at https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_9_5784.html.

On the McArthur Creek Fire, which is burning in a limited protection area, firefighters are situated to protect mining and trapping cabins that are threatened by the fire if the need arises. Firefighters will perform a burnout around the cabins and run sprinklers if needed.

The weather forecasted for the fire area over the next several days calls for lower relative humidity, temperatures in the mid-80’s and gusting winds. All of this will combine to increase the smoke in the area.

Categories: AK Fire Info