The McCoy Creek Fire saw limited growth on Tuesday. Firefighters continued to mop up the Salcha River corridor 50-100 feet within the fire perimeter, and hot spots up to 300 feet were extinguished as needed. Crews continued to patrol near cabins, clean up handline, and conduct inventory of firefighting equipment in the fire area. Transfer of command to the new Incident Commander, Andres Orozco, occurred at 7:00 am after the outgoing Incident Commander, Torrey Short, served a two-week assignment.

Fire managers are waiting on a long-term shift in the weather until making committing decisions relating to the demobilization of personnel and equipment. Until long-term cooler and wetter weather arrives, fire season will remain in Alaska. Crews on the McCoy Creek Fire include the Paradise Crew, the Union Interagency Hotshot Crew, the North Pacific Handcrew, the West Coast Handcrew, and the White Mountain Handcrew.

A GO! evacuation status remains in effect for Fairbanks North Star Borough residents in the Lower Salcha River, approximately from river mile 3 to 40. The Middle Salcha remains in Set status, approximately river mile 40 to 61.

Alaska State Parks has closed the Salcha River Recreation Area to the public to give firefighters the space they need to do their jobs safely. Property owners can still access the river at the boat ramp but should be aware this is an active fire area and in evacuation status. The area between river miles 20-30 should be avoided, if at all possible. In addition, the Harding Lake Campground is closed, but the boat ramp remains open to the public.

Categories: AK Fire Info