Bonanza Creek Fire (#238): 12,576 acres, 13% containment
Goldstream Creek Fire (#270): 20,530 acres, 14% containment
Personnel: 419
Evacuation Information: Evacuation levels were downgraded Wednesday, July 16th by the Fairbanks North Star Borough and the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management along the Parks Highway corridor.
🔴 Level 3 ‘GO!’:
- Outside the Borough: From the borough’s western edge, 4.5 miles west; from Sled Road north for 7 miles from the Alaska Railroad. This includes Standard Creek Road and nearby timber harvest access areas. The areas more than ½ mile west of the highway corridor from MP 317 to the borough boundary. The areas more than ½ mile east of the highway corridor from MP 312 to the borough boundary and to the Tanana River east of the Maich Logging Rd.
- Inside the Borough: Zones include Skinny Dick’s Logging Road, Nenana Ridge Forestry Road and Bonanza Creek Forestry Area.
🟡 Level 2 ‘SET’:
- Outside the Borough: Parks Highway MP 308-317 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, west of the Maich Logging Rd, including Farmview Subdivision. And for residents within ½ mile on each side of the highway from MP 317 to the borough boundary.
- Inside the Borough: Residents with ½ mile on each side of the highway from the borough boundary to MP 338. The Standard Cache zone that includes the middle portion of Standard Creek Road and the beginning of Cache Creek Road.
🟢 Level 1 ‘READY’:
- Outside the Borough: Parks Highway MP 305-309, extending to the Tanana River.
- Inside the Borough: Evacuation zones Parks Mile 338-342, Old Nenana Highway, Standard Creek, Old Ridge Trail, and Cache Creek Road.
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: On Thursday, the high pressure system moved in fully, starting a warming, drying trend with highs in the mid 70’s. Friday will see high temps in the mid 70’s again, with an isolated chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Although there is still much potential for fire activity later in the week, current fire behavior remains moderate, with deep fuels smoldering. Roads are starting to dry out and getting dusty on the west side of the Bonanza Fire, so more surface fire activity is expected with the warming trend.
Fire Update: The focus of work across the fires continues to be gaining containment, reducing the threat to values at risk, such as buildings, bridges and allotments. Water had been provided for this effort from various different sources. Water tenders include tanker trucks that can hold up to 4,000 gallons of water, as well as engines that often hold around 500 gallons of water. Hoses can be used from these two sources, or water can be pumped from lakes and rivers, or portable water tanks. These resources are critical in areas like the Nenana Ridge Complex, with lots of remote areas with no access to water.
On the Goldstream Creek Fire, a crew has been working line along the inside of the finger of fire near Twomile Lake and are close to securing the fireline in this section. Another crew has been mopping up on the fireline across the unburned area to the east of Twomile Lake. The additional containment in this area is lessening the threat to the Little Goldstream community, helping to get closer to the goal of pulling the structure protection equipment that is still in place. Crews camping along the northwest finger of the fire continue to get their hands in the dirt to feel out areas of heat. Along the fire’s northern edge, work is focusing on areas the fire slopped over fireline, and containing unburned fuels north of Mile Post 327.
Firefighters are focused on the northwest edge of the Bonanza Creek Fire, using hose lays to mop up the edge of the fire that is holding heat in the duff. Crews also are working to cool hotspots south of the Parks Highway in the stringers of fire that reach towards the road. Dozers continued building line on the west side of the fire Thursday, as ten pieces of heavy equipment were moved off the fire in other areas where work has been completed.
No Drone Zone: Firefighters working in the area of Dineege Avenue reported an unauthorized drone operating in the area, halting aerial fire operations for several hours while an investigation took place. Flying drones near wildfires is illegal and extremely dangerous, often leading to the grounding of firefighting aircraft and potentially causing harm to firefighters and property. A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place over the Nenana Ridge Complex. For more information go to https://tfr.faa.gov
Road Safety: As you drive the Parks Highway, you may not see much firefighting activity, but crews are working deeper in the fire area and are still accessing these areas via the highway. Please use extra caution and watch for firefighters and equipment, especially between MP 318 to 340. Pilot car operations are taking place through an active construction zone unrelated to fire activities. For more information about this construction project go to: https://dot.alaska.gov/nreg/parks319to325/. For real-time road updates, visit 511.alaska.gov.
More Information: For official updates, visit Alaska Wildland Fire Information at akfireinfo.com or follow facebook.com/AK.Forestry.
For a PDF version of this update click here.
For the interactive Alaska Wildland Fire Information Map Series go here: https://arcg.is/1a0yT03
For video briefings and more fire-related content from the Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection, visit our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AlaskaDNRDOF
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 