Bonanza Creek Fire (#238): 12,566 acres, 15% containment
Goldstream Creek Fire (#270): 20,483 acres, 21% containment
Personnel: 361
Evacuation Information: Evacuation levels were downgraded Monday, July 21st by the Fairbanks North Star Borough and the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management along the Parks Highway corridor. The zone on the Parks Highway MP 305-309 extending to the Tanana River on all sides has been lifted. The evacuation status for Old Nenana Highway, Old Ridge and Cache Creek Rd. zones has been lifted. See the evac zone descriptions and attached map below for additional changes.
🔴 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: Residents within ½ mile on each side of the highway from MP 317 north to the borough boundary.
- Inside the Borough: Residents with ½ mile on each side of the highway from the borough boundary to north 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 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.
- Inside the Borough: Evacuation zones Parks Mile 338-342, Old Nenana Highway, Standard Creek, Old Ridge Trail, and Cache Creek Road.
Fire Weather: Tuesday is predicted to be cloudy with a 20% chance of wetting rain. Temperatures are expected to be cool, falling between 58 and 63 degrees, paired with higher relative humidities. Winds will be gusty and out of the west. Rain on Monday significantly moderated fire behavior. Heat is still expected to hold in dozer berms, heavy dead and downed timber, and the underground duff layer. Low potential for fire spread is expected on Tuesday.
Fire Update: On Monday, the Nenana Ridge Complex saw substantial wind and rain throughout the fire area. The fire suppression equipment removal operation in the Little Goldstream community made extensive progress. Only a minimal amount of equipment remains as of Monday evening and is expected to be removed Tuesday morning. Due to the weather, ground crews were repositioned to expedite backhaul. Aravaipa hotshots and the Nenana Volunteer Fire Department, along with other resources from the adjacent division, assisted with the backhaul at Little Goldstream. The mastication line improvement project west of Little Goldstream was put on pause due to poor weather conditions.
Crews on the northeastern side of the Bonanza Creek fire were able to grid throughout the area before the inclement weather arrived. “Gridding,” refers to a tactic used in wildland firefighting. It is a systematic search method which involves locating hotspots and smoldering areas within the fire perimeter. It typically involves dividing an area into a grid pattern and having firefighters walk through the area, carefully, row by row, seeking any heat. Pike Hotshots, White Mountain Type 2 Initial Attack Crew, Platte Canyon Suppression Module, and Yukon Type 2 Initial Attack Crew were able to get boots on the ground along the eastern portion of the Goldstream Fire, putting eyes on the containment line before weather conditions depreciated. As the wind increased, trees began to fall across the line. Crews were removed from the line due to safety concerns.
No Drone Zone: 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.
Click the image for a downloadable PDF map of the Nenana Ridge Complex.
More Information: For official updates, visit Alaska Wildland Fire Information at 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 