Bonanza Creek Fire (#238): 12,540 acres
Goldstream Creek Fire (#270): 20,393 acres
Personnel: 525
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 is in ‘GO!’ status. 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 is in level 2 ‘SET’, 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 zone at the far west end at the Standard Creek and Cache Creek Road is in level 2 ‘SET’.
🟢 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 in both Nenana and Fairbanks have closed. Shelter options for both people and animals will be provided again if they are needed due to evacuations or fire behavior. Call Fairbanks North Star Borough at 907-459-1308 for additional information.
Fire Weather: Saturday, Fairbanks saw increased smoke as temperatures reached the 70’s. Sunday is expected be the hottest day of the weekend, with highs near 80 degrees. Increased fire activity is anticipated with smoke impacts primarily to the west of the fire area. Isolated tree torching and potential for spotting across the fire area exists. The black spruce and heavy dead fuels continue to hold heat and will be the areas most likely to become increasingly active with the warmer, dryer weather expected Sunday.
Goldstream Creek Fire (#270): Crews along the Parks Highway are moving equipment off the road to create safer travel conditions. Two hotshot crews are establishing a landing zone in the Twomile Lake area and eliminating hotspots to prevent spread towards the highway and protect the communities of Little Goldstream and Nenana to the southwest. A Vertol helicopter did water drops Saturday on the eastern most side of the fire to support crews working to remove heat that could generate embers with potential to move the fire north towards the Goldstream Valley community. The Vertol helicopter carries a 2,600 gallon bucket, which is a little larger than a small SUV.
Bonanza Creek Fire (#238): The Midnight Sun Hotshot Crew worked near Mile Post 333 extinguishing hot spots in the area of a previous burnout along the highway. As forest roads are drying out, the Suns were able to access piles along a dozer line extinguishing areas holding heat along the northeast edge. Crews focused on the southwest fingers of fire that have the greatest potential to move towards the Little Goldstream community. A Black Hawk helicopter, on loan from the Bear Creek Fire, was used Saturday for water drops in the east side of the Bonanza Fire. Another helicopter was used for a reconnaissance flight, sling loads, bucket drops and crew transfers.
Road Safety: The additional 100 firefighters recently assigned to the fire worked Saturday on the priority work removing hazards along the highway. Alaska Incident Management Team 2 is working closely with cooperators to find solutions that eliminate the need for pilot cars through the fire areas of the Parks Highway. Improvements include a shortened area requiring a pilot car, repair of the fiber optic cable, power being restored and the lowering of evacuation levels for the Little Goldstream Creek area. Pilot cars will be operating from both directions simultaneously between Mile Posts 318.5 and 335.5 from 10:00 PM and 8:00 AM to help shorten traffic wait times. The continued use of a pilot car operation will depend on ongoing firefighter operations along the road. Please help keep firefighters and other motorists safe by following flagger instructions and staying behind the pilot car. For current road status, visit 511.alaska.gov.
More Information
For official updates, visit Alaska Wildland Fire Information at akfireinfo.com or follow facebook.com/AK.Forestry.
For the interactive Alaska Wildland Fire Information Map Series go here: https://arcg.is/1a0yT03
To view a PDF of this update here.
Public Information Line: (907) 331-0454
Email: 2025.nenanaridgecomplex@firenet.gov
Categories: Active Wildland Fire, AK Fire Info, Alaska DNR - Division of Forestry (DOF)
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 