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Cool, wet weather slows repairs on Nenana Ridge Complex as smaller organization assumes command

By 2025 Nenana Ridge Complex on August 5, 2025

Nenana Ridge Complex Update

Aug. 5, 2025

Bonanza Creek Fire (#238): 12,572 acres, 22% containment

Goldstream Creek Fire (#270): 20,471 acres, 47% containment

Personnel: 61

Forest roads in the Nenana Ridge Complex have restricted access. Only fire personnel will be allowed access to these areas due to ongoing fire activities. The following roads and any connecting roads fall under this road restriction; Nenana Ridge Road, Bonanza Creek Road, Maisch Logging Road and the Skinny Dick’s logging roads. Members of the public are asked to stay out of the fire areas due to ongoing safety concerns.

Evacuation Information: All evacuation levels were downgraded Monday, July 28th by the Fairbanks North Star Borough and the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to Level 1 READY. For an interactive evacuation map follow the links for 2025 Wildfire Evacuation Info on the Fairbanks North Star Borough home page, https://www.fnsb.gov/

A person sitting on a hill top is silhouetted against an evening sky. — A firefighter is silhouetted against the evening sky as they watch the sunset from atop a gravel pile in Ester Camp on the Nenana Ridge Complex on Thursday, July 31, 2025. Tiffany Patsey/DOF

Fire Weather: Isolated storms occurred over the complex Monday bringing from two tenths to a quarter of an inch on portions of the fires. Wetting rains look likely with the heaviest rain, up to 1 inch or more through Wednesday, expected in the terrain around Fairbanks. Relative humidity will be high as well. Temperatures will be seasonably mild with highs in the 60s/70s. South, southwest winds will be breezy through Tuesday with gusts to 19 mph.

Fire Update: Rain made forest roads slippery and unsafe for travel Monday slowing suppression repair work across much of the complex. Traveling on roads that had been graded would have required them to be work on again. The Unmanned Aerial System flew reconnaissance missions between rain showers mapping repair work and seeking hot spots. The helicopter assigned to the complex responded to Anderson where a structure fire spread into the wildlands. Bucket work kept the fire from spreading beyond a tenth of an acre.

Fire management is transitioning to a smaller organization based out of Fairbanks Area Forestry. They will assume command Tuesday evening at 8:00 PM. Their focus will be on suppression repair of control lines and forest roads. Fire engines will continue to patrol monitoring the any issues that could compromise containment. There will continue to be occasional smoke visible from interior areas of the fires as heavy, down trees continue to smolder when warmer and dryer conditions return.

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

Parks Highway: 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.

For a PDF file of this update, click here.

Public Information Line: (907) 331-0454
Email: 2025.nenanaridgecomplex@firenet.gov