Fire season arrived late in Alaska this year, but is now active in a few areas of concern. The McCoy Creek Fire in the Fairbanks North Star Borough is still a threat to those in the Lower Salcha River area, prompting authorities to maintain a “GO!” evacuation status from river mile 3 to 40.

Additionally, the Middle Salcha remains in “Set” status, approximately from river mile 40 to 61. Firefighters are working to protect structures and contain the blaze, which saw increased activity on its north side on Sunday.

There are 151 active fires across the state, according to the interagency website AKFireInfo. The following large fires are likely to affect air quality in the Outlook area over the coming days: Anderson Complex, Lost Horse Creek, McCoy, Pogo Mine, and Delta. Additional details on fires are available at AICC Fire Info. Any community adjacent to active fire may experience periods of degraded air quality so stay informed by visiting the Fire and Smoke Map.

On Sunday, the McCoy Creek Fire had heightened activity on its northern perimeter, prompting firefighters to take immediate action to establish structure protection measures for cabins near the Salcha River.

The main fire also spawned two small spot fires across the river at approximately river mile 23. Fortunately, firefighters were able to rapidly locate the spot fires and construct firelines around them, preventing further growth. As of the evening of Aug. 6, no structures have been reported as being damaged by the fire. Currently, the main fire remains on the south side of the Salcha River.

In response to the ongoing firefighting efforts, Alaska State Parks has taken the precautionary step of closing the Salcha River Recreation Area to the public.

The closure provides firefighters with the space and resources to combat the fire. Property owners in the vicinity are allowed to access the river at the boat ramp, but are urged to exercise extreme caution due to the active fire in the area and the ongoing evacuation status. Particularly, the area between river miles 20-30 should be avoided, if at all possible. Moreover, the Harding Lake Campground has been closed to the public, but the boat ramp remains accessible.

Firefighters on the McCoy Creek Fire are receiving assistance from various teams, including the Paradise Crew, the Union Interagency Hotshot Crew from Oregon, a contingent of smokejumpers, and the North Pacific Handcrew.

McCoy Creek (#201) – [9,000 acres] River mile 29, Salcha River. Firefighters prioritized structure protection along the fire’s north edge. Aviation resources continue to support crews and evacuation levels remain in place from the Fairbanks North Star Borough. (130 personnel) 

Pogo Mine Road (#191) – [25,000 acres] 9 miles down Pogo Road. Firefighters are engaged in structure protection around private land, power lines and the pipeline. Along the southern perimeter, the fire remains north and west of Shaw Creek. (30 personnel) 

Sand Lake (#261) – [43 acres] 6 miles northwest of Dot Lake. Staffed with a Type 2 crew and module of firefighters from Southwest Alaska. Fire behavior was moderate. (61 personnel) 

Lost Horse Creek (#296) – [8,281 acres] North of Old Murphy Dome Road, 3.5 miles east of Mile 18 Elliot Highway. Firefighters continue to extend the control line along the southern edge and are scouting contingency lines. Structure  protection was completed along Sharmon Court with progress on Middle Fork Road. Fairbanks North Star Borough issued a GO! evacuation notice for Upper Haystack area. (169 Personnel) 

Anderson Complex (#899) – [18,231 acres] Anderson-Clear area. The Birch Creek and Shores Landing fires were most active with movement to the north and northwest. The Teklanika River fire had minimal growth. Resources continued to implement structure. Evacuation levels remain in place from the Denali Borough. (247 personnel)