There will be a community meeting in Anderson on Thursday night to share information on the Clear Fire. The meeting starts at 7:30 pm at the Anderson Fire Hall, 911 D Street in Anderson and will be broadcast live on the Alaska DNR Division of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Facebook page.
If you are evacuated and in need of shelter, contact the Denali Borough at (907) 683-1330.
Weather: Yesterday’s conditions were hot, dry, and windy; today is predicted to be the same. There are isolated showers and thunderstorms in the forecast. Relative humidity may be as low as 26% on the south side of the fire. Winds are forecasted from the northeast at the north end of the fire. Winds on the south end of the fire will be from the south-southeast early in the day and then shifting to the come from the southwest by the afternoon at 6-10mph with gusts to 18.
Fire Activity: There was extensive fire in the south side of Kobe Ag in Div K yesterday afternoon and into the evening. Winds came in from the southwest, prompting a severe increase in fire activity on the southeastern-most finger. The fire pushed about three miles north from the finger, breeching the east-west dozer line at the end of Diane Ave. as well as the north-south dozer line on the west side of Kobe Ag. Firefighters working to protect structures on the west side of Kobe Ag had to evacuate due to extreme fire behavior and life-threatening conditions. They remained near Rochester Way, working to protect structures where possible. Several aircraft were ordered, and they staged an aggressive water and retardant attack from the air. Firefighters worked overnight to attack spot fires and to keep the fire west of the Nenana River. The fire has not reached the river as of last report. Fire was active within the lower half of the subdivision reaching east to Rochester Way and north toward Bush Rd. The exact extent of fire reach and damage is being assessed by fire managers today. More resources will be moved into Div K today to continue fighting the fire and assessing the status of structures. Elsewhere in Div K, firefighters are still working to access structures on the southern-most edge, and the southwest edge remains checked by natural barriers.
North of Div K in Div G, there was minimal fire activity yesterday on the western-most dozer line. The east-west dozer line on the north side of Kobe Ag had some active fire that threw some spots, but firefighters were able to corral them. Thursday, crews will continue working directly at the edge of the fire to complete the dozer line that is wrapping north and west around the finger of fire in Div G, with a plan to connect this line into the marshy area near the Div G and Div B break.
In Div B on the northeast, crews constructed saw line yesterday and will work Thursday to tie this into the marshy area at the Div B and Div G break. They will continue laying hose for mop-up or suppression needs.
In Div A in the north, fire behavior is mainly creeping and smoldering. Firefighters will mop-up, protect structures, and improve fire line along the edge of Div A today.
Fire behavior in Div O on the northwest side is mainly smoldering with limited activity. Firefighters are allowing the river to work as a natural barrier and will keep monitoring some hot spots. There is no immediate threat to structures in Div O.
The River Group, also in the northwest, helped to transport crews yesterday morning and then assisted crews in Div A. Today, they will be assessing structures on the northern portion of the fire and making plans for any fuel reduction needs around the structures.
Div F firefighters worked on community protection lines around Anderson Wednesday morning. The area is well prepared in the case of any fire movement toward the city. Later in the day, most crews were relocated to Div K to assist with efforts there. Several Div F resources will keep assisting in Div K today.
Ready (Prepare your property): All areas WEST of the Nenana River between Parks Highway MP 264 – 269, including Bear Creek and June Creek areas.
Set (Prepare your “go bag”): All areas WEST of the Nenana River between Parks Highway MP 269 – 274.
This includes the city of Anderson, Clear and Clear Space Force Station. All areas EAST of the Nenana River between Parks Highway MP 275 – 302. All cabins along the Teklanika River between two and five miles of the current fire perimeter.
GO (Evacuate now): All areas accessed by Kobe Road. All cabins along the Teklanika River within two miles of the current fire perimeter.
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.
Photo: Fire burns in the Kobe Ag subdivision on the afternoon of 7/6/2022. Photo credit: Eric Kiehn, Task Force Leader with Northwest Team 1