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Denali National Park plans to fully re-open to visitors on Wednesday, and that includes bus tours into the park.
Employees who live in the entrance area were invited to return to their homes Saturday night, as the evacuation status for the area was lowered to Green/Ready status.
Normal operations will resume Wednesday with the exception of Riley Creek Campground and Day Use Area and the Horseshoe Lake Trail, which will remain closed due to ongoing firefighting and support activities in those places.
“We appreciate the hard work of the firefighters to reduce the fire threat to park facilities,” said Brooke Merrell, park superintendent. She thanked the Denali Borough, American Red Cross, Salvation Army, Morning Star Baptist Church, Tri-Valley Community Library, Neighbor to Neighbor and Alaska Baptist Disaster Relief, who sheltered and fed many evacuees.
“The support and cooperation with our community partners through this challenging incident has been amazing,” she said.
Meanwhile, businesses, including the large hotels, were fully operational again this weekend in the Nenana River Canyon, just outside Denali National Park.
The culprit for closures was the Riley Fire, which broke out a week ago just across the river from the canyon. To a casual observer, the fire looks like it has burned itself out, but it is not totally contained. The mountainside is scorched and seems quiet, but the fire remains active under the tundra.
Fire crews reported the 388-acre fire is now 25% contained, along the southeast edge and northernmost tip. There are 196 personnel assigned to the fire and crews are working to extend that containment line by venturing further into the burned area and extinguishing heat, according to the Alaska Fire Information report.
It doesn’t look active, but under a deep layer of organic matter known as “duff” — roots, leaves, needles and twigs — the fire continues to smolder. Under the right conditions, it could erupt again.
The fire has burned in a mosaic pattern. Some areas are burned black, some trees are partially burned, and large areas within the fire perimeter remain unburned. The result is that a tree canopy remains, which can prevent rain from reaching the ground. Recent rain showers have helped with humidity and cooler temperatures — but vegetation, which is fuel for the fire, remains dry.
Rain showers Thursday and Friday dropped about a quarter of an inch of rain on the fire. More rain fell Saturday and was expected to continue Sunday, perhaps bringing rainfall totals for the week to about half an inch. Meanwhile winds gusted in excess of 40 mph. Temperatures will remain cool through Sunday, with highs near 60 degrees and relative humidity above 40%. Warmer and drier weather is predicted to resume early next week.
Tri-Valley Community Center is still the evacuation center for the area, and is being operated by the American Red Cross and Salvation Army. Part of the school is also serving as the command center for firefighting and firefighters have pitched tents on school grounds.
Denali National Park will remain closed through Tuesday, although locals were given a two-hour window on Saturday to retrieve their mail from the Denali Post Office.
The Alaska Railroad will continue slightly modified passenger service with passenger pick up and drop off at the Healy Train Depot until the Denali National Park Train Depot reopens.
The Parks Highway has not been affected by the fire and is open.
“We understand the impact that the fire closure has had on our staff, community residents, local businesses and visitors,” Merrell said. “Thank you for your patience as we diligently work to ensure public safety so we can soon welcome you back to Denali National Park and Preserve.”
As of Saturday afternoon, there were 164 active wildfires statewide with two new starts in the past 24 hours. So far, 324 fires have burned 536,658 acres across Alaska.
The Division of Forestry and Fire Protection lifted the burn permit suspension for Fairbanks, Salcha, Delta, Tok and Railbelt areas. Small and large scale permits are required. The fire danger is these areas is moderate.
The McDonald Fire is at 172,236 acres and has 80 assigned personnel. A half-inch of rain overnight along with cool temperatures kept the fire from growing. A new firefighting team takes over on Sunday.
In the 5 Mile Creek area, crews continue mop-up operations to secure the fire edge. Firefighters continue monitoring for any fire growth beyond the current perimeter. Wind rain are in the forecast again, which will likely slow fire growth — although smoldering is expected to continue.
Rain has minimized the spread of this 87,434 acre fire.
Protecting structures is the primary focus of firefighters assigned to this fire. Crews are also focused on protecting the Elliott Highway, Trans-Alaska Pipeline, Native allotments, and public and private structures, as well as minimizing impacts to fish habitat along the Tatalina and Tolovana river corridors. The fire continues to creep and smolder.
The Elliott Highway is open but expect significant delays between mileposts 25-65 if fire activity increases.
BLM has closed the western portion of the White Mountains National Recreation Area, surrounding the Wickersham Dome Trailhead at Mile 28 Elliott Highway The closure is in effect until Sept. 1, unless BLM determines the area is safe for public use earlier than that.
Four other fires in the northern region are demobilizing.
Sargent Creek Fire (#345) is a lightning-caused fire south of the Chatanika River about 3.5 miles from the Elliott Highway Chatanika Bridge. Staff has demobilized.
Shaw Creek Dome Fire (#326) is 19.25 miles northeast of Big Delta. It is estimated to be 11 acres, with 17 personnel assigned. Heavy precipitation Friday led crews to prepare hoses and equipment for backhaul.
Last Chance Creek Fire (#305) is 11 miles East of Fox near Fort Knox Gold Mine. This one-acre fire is fully contained.
Gold King Creek Fire (#276) is 46 miles south of Fairbanks in a limited response area. The 6,000 acre fire is staffed by 32 personnel including the Yukon fire crew and smokejumpers. Aerial surveillance continues as crews work to ensure there is no risk to structures.
