10:30 p.m. June 30, Update (last one of the night): Aircraft and firefighters continue to hold the fire west of the railroad and north of the Denali National Park entrance. Aircraft have made numerous water and retardant drops. About 50 firefighters are working directly on the fire’s edge and using a ridgeline to prevent the fire from spreading south.
Monday will be cooler, with temperatures in the mid-60s and a chance of isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon. By Tuesday afternoon, a strong low pressure system is expected to bring westerly winds, followed by wetter, cooler weather.
Go to the Denali National Park and Preserve website for closure information.
7:15 p.m. June 30, Update: A Temporary Flight Restriction is in place to provide a safe environment for firefighting aircraft working on the Riley Fire.
There are helicopters, two air tankers dropping retardant, four single-engine water scoopers and two larger scoopers who have done several rounds on the Riley Fire Sunday. This is in addition to the 22 smokejumpers and the Tanana Chiefs Fire Crew, and several federal, state and local engines who are engaged in suppression efforts.
The fire is so far burning in a more northwest direction farther into the park and away from the Nenana River Canyon, more commonly known as Glitter Gulch.
The four hotshot crews arriving in Fairbanks from the Lower 48 Monday are reserved for the Riley Fire, which is still burning west of the Alaska Railroad, Nenana River and Parks Highway near milepost 239.
6:30 p.m. June 30, Update: Riley Fire Evacuation Status.
The Tri-Valley Community Center is the Evacuation Information Center at Mile 0.5 Healy Spur Road in Healy.
Red – Go: All Bison Gulch and Antler Ridge hikers and all employees housed at the Denali National Park Joint Venture facility: anyone in these areas should evacuate.
Yellow – Set: Riley Creek Campground, Denali National Park Headquarters and C-Camp: anyone in these areas should consider the Wildfire Evacuation Checklist (found on the Riley Wildland Fire Information page on the Denali Borough website) to prepare for possible evacuation.
Green – Ready: The Nenana Canyon area (aka Glitter Gulch). Anyone in these areas should stay alert and monitor for evacuation status.
The Tri-Valley Community Center is the Evacuation Information Center at Mile 0.5 Healy Spur Road in Healy.
More information will be released when available on the Denali National Park and Preserve and Denali Borough social media pages.
4 p.m. June 30, Update: Smokejumpers on scene report the fire is quickly growing, but is still west of the Alaska Railroad and away from a commercial area at the Nenana River Canyon. The fire was reported as 100 percent active and moving northwest. There are water scoopers, an air tanker and helicopters working to keep the fire west of the railroad and away from populated areas. The fire is at least 300 acres.
The Denali National Park and Preserve has issued evacuations due to this wildfire burning within the park. You can find park emergency alerts at https://www.nps.gov/dena/blogs/riley-fire-updates.htm.
The Tanana Chief Fire Crew just arrived with 10 more smokejumpers driving down the Parks Highway to join the effort to suppress this fire.
Agencies involved in the initial response included the Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection, Tri-Valley Volunteer Fire Department and the McKinley Village Volunteer Fire Department.
2 p.m. June 30, Update: A load of 12 smokejumpers were deployed to the fire via airplane and an additional load of 10 smokejumpers are traveling to the fire via ground transport. Four Fire Bosses, which are water-scooping aircraft, are on scene, and 2 water scoopers and 1 retardant air tanker are en route.
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Multiple aircraft and smokejumpers are responding to a new fire burning across the Nenana River, west of milepost 239 Parks Highway about 1 mile north of the Denali National Park and Preserve entrance.
The Riley Fire (#318) was reported by numerous people. There are no structures immediately threatened.
The fire was sized up at about 1:15 p.m. by smokejumpers aboard a plane flying overhead before they deployed to the fire. It was as quickly growing and burning in black spruce near the Alaska Railroad. It was estimated at 20-30 acres.
Both large and small scoopers and an air tanker were also responding to the fire to quickly suppress this wildfire burning near a populated area.
More information will be released when available.
The location of the fire has been corrected.
-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.
Categories: AK Fire Info, BLM Alaska Fire Service
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 