Update at 6:35 p.m. from the U.S. Forest Service about the firefighters injured in today’s boating incident on the Salcha River.

Forest Service News Release Media Contact:Region 5 Media Desk SM.FS.MediaDeskR5@usda.gov California Firefighters Injured in Boating Incident on Salcha River FAIRBANKS, Alaska (July 11, 2025) — Five firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Region (Region 5, California, Hawaii, and U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands) working on the Ninetyeight Fire southeast of Fairbanks were injured in a boating incident on the Salcha River this morning.Two firefighters were treated on scene and released. Three of the injured firefighters were transported to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. Two patients were treated at the hospital and released, while the other patient is in stable condition and will be kept overnight for observation.Transportation via watercraft is one of the primary travel mechanisms for firefighters working on this fire.The cause of the boating incident is under investigation.For more information, contact Pacific Southwest Regional Communications: SM.FS.MediaDeskR5@usda.gov

Original information from BLM Alaska Fire Service

FAIRBANKS, Alaska — Three firefighters working on the Ninetyeight Fire southeast of Fairbanks were injured in a boating incident on the Salcha River this morning. The injured firefighters were transported to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital for further treatment. The extent of the injuries is yet to be determined. The cause of the boating incident is under investigation.

More details about this incident will be released as they become available.

Firefighters working on the Ninetyeight Fire are primarily concentrating on protecting structures along the Salcha River. The fire was discovered on the Yukon Training Area east of Eielson Air Force Base on June 19 and merged with the nearby Brigadier Fire to burn a total of approximately 15,600 acres. There are 100 firefighting and support personnel assigned to this fire. Additional information on the fire is available on the Alaska Fire Information webpage.

For more information, contact BLM Alaska Fire Service Public Affairs Specialist Beth Ipsen at (907)356-5510 or eipsen@blm.gov.

-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. 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: Active Wildland Fire, BLM Alaska Fire Service

Tags: Ninetyeight Fire