The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for most areas north of the Alaska Range to the foothills of the Brooks Range and from the Canadian border to west of McGrath for low humidities, high temperatures and high winds. The Red Flag Warning and Fire Weather Watch will begin on Saturday, June 8, at 10 am and extend through Sunday, June 9, at 9 pm.
As a result of these conditions the Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection is suspending burn permits in all areas of the Fairbanks Prevention Area beginning Friday, June 7. Permits will be suspended in the Delta and Tok Prevention Areas Saturday and Sunday. The suspensions will be in affect until conditions improve. To see if it’s safe to burn, contact your local burn permit hotline.
Burning of debris piles or utilizing a burn barrel is prohibited. Please note that cooking and warming types fires are still allowed but extreme caution must be used due to high wildfire potential should an ember escape or a fire be left unattended or not completely put out.
Please check https://dnr.alaska.gov/burn/fireareas or call the burn permit hotline listed below for the most current updates.
The areas under the Fire Weather Watch and Red Flag Warning are in very high fire danger levels, meaning outdoor burning is dangerous and fires will start easily from all causes. New fires will spread rapidly with increasing intensity. Fires in light or dead fuels will quickly demonstrate high intensity characteristics. Fire suppression and mop-up will take an extended and thorough effort.
State law requires those wanting to conduct any open burning on state, private and municipal lands from April 1 through Aug. 31 to get burn permits from the Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection either online or at your local DOF office. This includes burning brush piles, using burn barrels, agricultural burning and burning of maintained lawns. Burn permits are NOT required for camping, cooking or warming fires less than three feet in diameter with flame lengths less than two feet high. However, it’s not suggested during windy days or when and where there are red flag warnings.
You can also find more information about the Forestry burn permit program and suspensions at https://dnr.alaska.gov/burn
For current information on DOF Burn Permits, call the hotline at DOF Area Offices:
- Tok – (907) 883-1413 ext. 2303
- Delta – (907) 895-5483
- Fairbanks – (907) 451-2631
- Mat-Su Area – (907)761-6312
- Kenai-Kodiak – (907)260-4269
- Southwest – (907)524-3010
- Haines (Northern Southeast Area) – (907)766-2120
- Valez/Copper River – (907)822-8665
Categories: Alaska DNR - Division of Forestry (DOF), burn permit suspension, Fire Restrictions, Fire Weather, Red Flag Warning
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 