‘Go’ evacuations expanded along Parks Highway

“Go” evacuations were expanded on Thursday for all properties accessed by roads, trails, and driveways off either side of the Parks Hwy between MP 273 and 280.

“Go” notices remain in effect for all areas accessed by Kobe Road as well as for all cabins along the Teklanika River that are within two miles of the current fire perimeter in the Denali Borough.

Weather: Today was partly cloudy and warm with a high of 84F. A shower or thunderstorm is possible, but it will remain dry with little chance of wetting rain. Humidity may be as low as the upper 20s. Winds on the north side of the fire should be light and northeasterly early in the day and then increase with gusts to 15 mph. Winds in the south are forecast out of the south-southeast at 6 to 7 mph with gusts up to 20 mph, although they could shift to southwesterly and may be variable and erratic at times. Conditions may produce active fire behavior again Friday.

Fire Activity: Fire was active yesterday and overnight near the Kobe Ag Subdivision. In Div K on the south edge of Kobe Ag, firefighters and aircraft worked aggressively to slow fire spread and construct fire line. Twelve different fixed-wing aircraft as well as helicopters worked over the fire yesterday. Aircraft dropped twelve loads of retardant running both north-south and east-west in an effort to box-in this area and reduce fire movement toward the Nenana River and Parks Hwy.

As of last report, the fire had not crossed the river or highway. The highway remains open.

Meanwhile, firefighters on the ground worked to secure and protect structures and build direct line where possible with both dozers and hand crews. Crews in Div G traveled south to assist Div K in securing the edge of the fire just south of Lightning Rd, and they encountered heavy winds and low visibility. Firefighters are looking for opportunities to create protection lines in this area to prevent fire from pushing farther north into Kobe Ag or east toward Clear. Crews will continue this work today and will take actions to protect structures where they can safely do so. Overall impact to structures remains unknown. Assessments will be conducted as safety permits, and notifications will come from Denali Borough.

At the southern tip of the fire (also Div K), firefighters remain challenged in their efforts to safely access the structures in this remote area. Attempts will continue and aircraft will fly reconnaissance when possible to assess the condition of this area. In the far west side of Div K, fire remains curbed by natural barriers.

On the north side of Kobe Ag in Div G, crews have successfully secured line into the marshy area at the north edge of the finger near the Div G/B break. There was minimal fire activity yesterday on the western dozer line in this area (northwest end of Kobe Ag). Crews in Div G will secure and improve the line into the marsh today and will assist crews in Div K.

In the northeast in Div B, there is a new spot fire (approximately 10 acres) near the Div B/G break. Crews will work to control this today. Yesterday, there was also a one-acre spot at the Div B/A break, but this was controlled by firefighters and water drops. It is in mop-up status today.

Crews in Div A to the north are deepening the fire line and extending that depth toward Div B. There is a spot fire near the Div A/O break that firefighters will work today. Otherwise, fire activity is minimal in this area. Firefighters will install pumps and sprinklers near structures along the river. In the northwest in Div O, fire activity is minimal except on the division’s south end where the River Group monitored an area of increased activity. This fire created no threat to structures. The river is still serving as an effective natural barrier, and crews will monitor by air and boat for any changes. Divs A and O will soon be combined into one division.

The city of Anderson (Div F) remains prepped in the event of any fire progression. Crews and engines are patrolling overnight. A new group will be added on Saturday called the “Structure Group.” This will bolster structure protection resources, and this group will operate in Divs K and G (Kobe Ag) as well as in the city of Anderson.

Sheltering or evacuation-related information: Contact the Denali Borough at (907) 683-1330, see the Borough’s Facebook page or visit denaliborough.org   

All other fire information: Clear Fire Information, (907) 290-2921; Alaska Fire Information, (907) 356-5511; akfireinfo.com, inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8178, and on the Alaska Division of Forestry and BLM Alaska Fire Service Facebook pages.