- Bonanza Creek Fire (#238): 12,516 acres
- Goldstream Creek Fire (#270): 19,121 acres
- Personnel: 391
A community meeting is scheduled for Friday, July 11, at 6 p.m. at the Ester Volunteer Fire Department, located at 3570 Old Nenana Highway. The meeting will be recorded and posted online after its conclusion.
Evacuation Information
Evacuation levels were updated on Thursday, July 10th, by the Fairbanks North Star Borough and the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
🔴 Level 3 “GO!”:
- Parks Highway corridor MP 316.5–338, as well as MP 338–341 south of the highway. This includes all residences within at least a one-mile radius of the highway.
- West of the Fairbanks North Star Borough boundary: From the borough’s western edge, 4.5 miles west; from Sled Road north for 7 miles beyond the Alaska Railroad. This includes Standard Creek Road and nearby timber harvest access areas.
🟡 Level 2 “SET”:
- Outside the Borough – Parks Highway MP 309-316.5, extending west of the highway to include homes along Little Goldstream Road, agricultural areas, and the Alaska Railroad. Extending east of the highway to include homes and agricultural areas north of Little Goldstream Creek.
- Inside the Borough- The Standard Cache area is in level 2 ‘SET’, including Standard Road and Spencer Spur.
🟢 Level 1 “READY”:
- Outside the Borough – Parks Highway MP 305-309 is in Level 1 ‘READY’.
- Inside the Borough – MP 338 to 351 north of the Parks Highway, as well as the Old Nenana Highway, Standard Creek, Old Ridge Trail, and Equinox Trail encompassing Cache Creek Road are also in Level 1 ‘READY’.
Evacuation shelters Hutchison High School will close Friday at 1 p.m., and the Nenana evacuation shelter will close Friday at 5 p.m. The temporary animal evacuation center closed Thursday at 5 p.m. A clean air room remains open during regular hours at Noel Wien Library for those affected by smoke.
Fire Weather: Clearing skies Thursday afternoon allowed for reconnaissance flights over both fires, providing a clear view of the perimeters that contributed to updated acreage estimates. Recent rainfall has helped slow fire activity, limiting spread mostly to interior islands of unburned fuels. However, temperatures are expected to climb through the weekend, with highs reaching the upper 70s to low 80s by Sunday. Fine fuels such as grass, spruce needles, and leaf litter will dry quickly under these warmer conditions, increasing the potential for active fire behavior.
Goldstream Creek Fire (#270) Work in the Little Goldstream community is complete, and crews have shifted focus toward Mile 310 of the Parks Highway. Firefighters are checking structures and surrounding areas for remaining hot spots while improving defensible space where needed. Along the highway, crews continue to assess for heat and reinforce protection measures. Wet conditions have left many side roads impassable, so crews are working carefully to minimize their impact and protect road integrity. On the eastern edge of the fire, firefighters are evaluating access and terrain to identify safe routes and strategic options to prevent further spread.
Bonanza Creek Fire (#238): Crews continue working along the fire perimeter near the Parks Highway, extinguishing hot spots and removing hazard trees to reduce the risks they pose to roads, infrastructure, responders, and the public. There are no water sources in the fire area, so tenders continue to support firefighting efforts by filling portable tanks that pump water into miles of hose lays. Crews are also improving defensible space around structures and clearing downed trees to remove fuels. Efforts remain focused on keeping heat from escaping the fire’s interior and reducing remaining threats near the highway corridor.
Road Safety Firefighters and equipment remain working along the Parks Highway. Traffic patterns are closely monitored and adjusted as needed. Drivers are urged to slow down, follow flagger instructions, and proceed in single file behind the pilot vehicle to ensure responder and public safety. Passing pilot cars or speeding creates serious hazards. The size of the control area has been reduced, thanks to ongoing firefighting efforts, but delays are still possible due to heavy equipment and activity on the highway. State forest roads within and surrounding the fire remain restricted to public access and protect firefighter safety. These restrictions may change as conditions evolve. For current updates, visit 511.alaska.gov.
Power Outages: Power restoration has been completed from Nenana to Mile 315. However, fire-damaged trees falling on power lines are still causing intermittent outages. This is an ongoing issue in areas affected by wildfires, and utility crews will keep patrolling, clearing hazards, and restoring power as quickly and safely as possible. Visit GVEA’s outage map for real-time updates at outage.gvea.com.
More Information
For official updates, visit Alaska Wildland Fire Information at akfireinfo.com or follow facebook.com/AK.Forestry.
Public Information Line: (907) 331-0454
Email: 2025.nenanaridgecomplex@firenet.gov
Click HERE to download a PDF of this update.
Today’s operational update can be found here.
Categories: Active Wildland Fire, AK Fire Info, Alaska DNR - Division of Forestry (DOF)
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 