Alaska
Wet weather expected over McDonald Fire today
Head of the McDonald Fire as seen from Aerial Reconnaissance flight taken on July 3, 2024 photo by Liliana Lopez
The McDonald Fire is at 172,236 acres and has 75 assigned personnel on Thursday, July 4 2024.| Size: 172,236 | Personnel: 75 | Start Date: June 8, 2024 | Cause: Lightning |
FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The McDonald Fire received wind from the west-southwest Wednesday, with gusts as high as 35 mph. Fire behavior was moderated due to the higher humidity yesterday and smoke was present on the highway over the course of the day. A reconnaissance flight found heat along the northern edge with most of the heat in the northeast corner, which aligned with the wind direction. There was minimal perimeter growth with the gain in total acreage attributed to the fire consuming unburned pockets in the interior.
Crews have secured roughly 50 feet of depth along most of the line in the 5 Mile Creek Area and will continue with mop-up operations and securing the fires edge. Several crews reported trees falling over in the areas where they were working. The potential for fire-weakened trees to fall is high and firefighters must be alert to these dangers while working on the line. Rain is in the forecast today for the area, so operations will be weather and safety dependent. Crews will monitor fire behavior for any potential spotting or flanking beyond the perimeter. A module is staffing several lookouts and engines are patrolling the ridge and lookout areas as well as the Richardson Highway to provide information to crews on the ground.
Weather: Rain is expected today with winds from the southwest at 5 to 7 mph. Temperatures are forecast to be in the 50s to 60s. This should reduce fire activity.
Burn Permits: The Division of Forestry and Fire Protection has issued Burn Permit Suspensions for Fairbanks, Salcha, Delta, Tok, and Railbelt areas. The fire danger in these areas remains HIGH. Please check https://dnr.alaska.gov/burn/fireareas or call the burn permit hotline for the Fairbanks Area Forestry at (907) 451-2631 for the most current updates.
Air Quality: Cooler temperatures and rain forecast today and into the weekend should help moderate smoke production. This should continue the overall trend of improving air quality. However, due to the amount of fire on the landscape and wind, there may be periods of increasing smoke until significant wetting rain arrives. Winds will continue to be from the southwest today, pushing smoke northeast. Lingering smoke may enhance any fog that forms and impact visibility. Fairbanks Memorial Hospital (1650 Cowles St.) has clean-air rooms available for people impacted by smoke open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Find information on how to protect yourself from wildfire smoke at the Smoke Management page on https://akfireinfo.com/smoke-management/.
Evacuation Notices: A Level 2: SET evacuation notice is in effect for the approximately 20 cabins near the fire’s southeastern edge west of the Tanana River. The communities east of the Tanana River are in READY status, including the Johnson Road neighborhoods, Canaday, Harding Lake, Salcha, the lower Salcha River, Hollies Acres, and south to Birch Lake. Find more information and an interactive map of these areas on the Fairbanks North Star Borough Emergency Services website.
Temporary Flight Restriction: New temporary flight restrictions were put in place on July 1; for more information, see: 4/6081 NOTAM Details (faa.gov).
-BLM-
Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Fire Service, P.O. Box 35005, 1541 Gaffney Road, Fort Wainwright, AK 99703
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The Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service (AFS) located at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, provides wildland fire suppression services for over 240 million acres of Department of the Interior and Native Corporation Lands in Alaska. In addition, AFS has other statewide responsibilities that include: interpretation of fire management policy; oversight of the BLM Alaska Aviation program; fuels management projects; and operating and maintaining advanced communication and computer systems such as the Alaska Lightning Detection System. AFS also maintains a National Incident Support Cache with a $18.1 million inventory. The Alaska Fire Service provides wildland fire suppression services for America’s “Last Frontier” on an interagency basis with the State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources, USDA Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Military in Alaska.
Categories: Active Wildland Fire, BLM Alaska Fire Service
(Anchorage) Twenty Alaska educators will hit the road June 7-12, 2026, for an exciting trip across the Last Frontier. Alaska Resource Education’s Natural Resource Management Teacher Externship takes teachers on a trip across Alaska to see the state’s natural resource sites and training locations firsthand.
“The natural resource industry is a big part of Alaska but unless you work within the industry, you’ve probably never had the opportunity to see it up close,” says Beki Toussaint, ARE’s executive director. “The NRM Teacher Externship allows educators to gain important insight into these industries and the many careers within them.”
The externship is also an opportunity for educators to learn how to implement ARE’s curriculum in the classroom. ARE’s curriculum is designed for grades K-12 and aligned with Alaska State Standards.
“Alaska students are the future of our great state. Our educators are the ones who inspire them and help them unlock what comes next. By investing in our educators, we’re investing in our students,” says Toussaint.
During the week-long trip, educators will visit industry sites including the North Slope, Chena Hot Springs, Kinross Fort Knox Gold Mine and Usibelli Coal Mine. The group will also visit training locations like the Pipeline Training Center and the UAF Community and Technical College. New this year, teachers are taking a private tour of the Mining Hall of Fame followed by a reception with community members.
“Many educators have spent their entire careers in education and have never worked in the trades or had the opportunity to learn how apprenticeships and industry training programs operate. By visiting the mines and speaking directly with industry leaders, my fellow educators and I will gain valuable firsthand knowledge that we can share with our students and communities. As a result, we become ambassadors for both educational opportunities and the industries that help sustain Alaska’s economy and communities.” said Keith Hodson, Anchorage educator.
Teachers from across the state will attend, including educators from Galena, Juneau, Hydaburg, Anchorage, Fairbanks, Soldotna, North Pole, Eagle River, Point Hope and Prince of Wales Island. The NRM Teacher Externship is certified through the University of Alaska as a 500-level course. Successful completion will earn educators three continuing education credits.
ARE is able to offer programs like this due to generous donations from our supporters like, innovation visionary sponsors, Jim & Vicki Jansen Foundation and a partnership grant through the Anchorage School District.
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High school
Baseball
Thursday
Juneau-Douglas 8, Colony 3
West Valley 4, South 2
Dimond 5, Palmer 2
Service 9, Soldotna 4
Friday
South 8, Colony 0
Soldotna 7, Palmer 3
Petersburg 2, Kodiak 1
Juneau-Douglas 11, West Valley 1
Homer 8, Monroe Catholic 5
Service 6, Dimond 3
Saturday
Soldotna 6, South 1
Kodiak 12, Monroe Catholic 2
Dimond 8, West Valley 1
Homer 6, Petersburg 5
Juneau-Douglas 5, Service 4
• • •
Softball
Thursday
Colony 14, Bartlett 3
Delta 13, Soldotna 4
Wasilla 8, Wasilla 7
South 9, Colony 4
Delta 12, Homer 3
Chugiak 17, Bartlett 0
South 13, Juneau-Douglas 5
Sitka 3, Wasilla 2
Colony 17, Service 9
Bartlett 0, Chugiak 0
Friday
Service 6, Bartlett 3
Wasilla 8, Juneau-Douglas 4
North Pole 15, Soldotna 13
Homer 14, Kodiak 7
Chugiak 13, Colony 4
Sitka 10, South 9
Delta 15, Homer 9
North Pole 21, Palmer 20
Palmer 16, Kodiak 11
Homer 8, Soldotna 3
Colony 4, Wasilla 0
South 15, Service 14
Chugiak 8, Sitka 7
Delta 11, North Pole 3
Saturday
Palmer 14, Homer 6
Colony 21, South 11
Palmer 19, North Pole 18
Sitka 12, Colony 0
Palmer 12, Delta 2
Sitka 15, Chugiak 13
• • •
Alaska Baseball League
Monday
Anchorage Glacier Pilots 7, Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks 1
Tuesday
Anchorage Glacier Pilots 2, Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks 1
Friday
Mat-Su Miners 14, Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks 5
Saturday
Mat-Su Miners vs. Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks (Late)
• • •
Alaska Run for Women
Overall Results Top 100
1. Taylor Deal, Anchorage, AK 27:29; 2. Yvonne Jeschke, Anchorage, AK 28:08; 3. Heather Arneson, Anchorage, AK 29:09; 4. Mariah Graham, Anchorage, AK 30:27; 5. Rosie Conway, Anchorage, AK 30:36; 6. Michelle Hill, Anchorage, AK 31:03; 7. Kianna Wika, Anchorage, AK 31:13; 8. Mandy Vincent-Lang, Anchorgae, AK 31:16; 9. Karina Packer, Anchorage, AK 31:32; 10. Kikkan Randall, Anchorage, AK 31:48; 11. Hannah Souders, Anchorage, AK 32:02; 12. Janessa Hirniak, Eagle River, AK 32:06; 13. Megan Murphy, Anchorage, AK 32:13; 14. Emily Olson, Palmer, AK 32:18; 15. Hallidie Phillips, Anchorage, AK 33:02; 16. Sarah Freistone, Anchorage, AK 33:11; 17. Barbara Piromalli, Anchorage, AK 33:12; 18. Morgan Ekemo, Eagle River, AK 33:20; 19. Kaelan Dickinson, Anchorage, AK 33:31; 20. Sofija Spaic, Palmer, AK 33:37; 21. Lia Slemons, Anchorage, AK 33:39; 22. Brynna Gerlach, Anchorage, AK 33:40; 23. Stephanie Arnold, Anchorage, AK 33:40; 24. Rene Sobrino, Anchorage, AK 34:09; 25. Maggie Hamel, Anchorage, AK 34:23; 26. Cora Neroda, Anchorage, AK 34:30; 27. Livia Bond, Anchorage, AK 35:02; 28. Iris Samuels, Anchorage, AK 35:16; 29. Delia Neroda, Anchorage, AK 35:23; 30. Alison Matthews, Anchorage, AK 35:29; 31. Heather Poe, Anchorage, AK 35:49; 32. Siera Chadwick, Anchorage, AK 35:57; 33. Karen Kirk, Eagle River, AK 36:01; 34. Emily Urlacher, Anchorage, AK, AK 36:04; 35. Victoria Bear, Eagle River, AK 36:14; 36. Elizabeth Aarons, Anchorage, AK 36:32; 37. Grace Heglund-Lohman, Anchorage, AK 36:33; 38. Jennifer McGrath, Anchorage, AK 36:34; 39. Samantha Bassler, Anchorage, AK 36:38; 40. Valerie Bixler, Anchorage, AK 36:51; 41. Jennifer Page, Anchorage, AK 36:59; 42. Ashley Shaw, Eagle River, AK 37:02; 43. Annie Hamel, Anchorage, AK 37:12; 44. Samantha Sorensen, Anchorage, AK 37:22; 45. Sylvia Okuley, Chugiak, AK 37:25; 46. Jeni Moon, Chugiak, AK 37:28; 47. Kristen Ford, Seattle, WA 38:03; 48. Kari Skinner, Anchorage, AK 38:12; 49. Elizabet Hermanson, Anchorage, AK 38:19; 50. Jennifer Schmidt, Anchorage, AK 38:38; 51. Sharon Ong, Anchorage, AK 38:41; 52. Tatjana Spaic, Anchorage, AK 38:46; 53. Nikki Wray, Anchorage, AK 38:46; 54. Toril Peterson, Anchorage, AK 39:02; 55. Loren Gurkowski, Anchorage, AK 39:02; 56. Katie Russell, Eagle River, AK 39:03; 57. Valerie Watkins, Anchorage, AK 39:07; 58. Cynthia Decker, Anchorage, AK 39:17; 59. Francesca Singleton, Anchorage, AK 39:20; 60. Almut Tropp, Anchorage, AK 39:28; 61. Andrea Castelbanco Pardo, Anchorage, AK 39:34; 62. Jessica Brawn, Anchorage, AK 39:38; 63. KC Kent, Anchorage, AK 39:38; 64. Courtney Bond, Anchorage, AK 39:46; 65. Sarah Bagron, Anchorage, AK 39:49; 66. Kailey Sayer, Eagle River, AK 39:54; 67. Cindy Freistone, Anchorage, AK 39:55; 68. Celeste Earley, Anchorage, AK 39:57; 69. Ambriel Sandone, Anchorage, AK 39:58; 70. Linda Domjan, Anchorage, AK 40:05; 71. Claudia Rechtor, Anchorage, AK 40:34; 72. Jessica Shaffer, Anchorage, AK 40:40; 73. Kate Seibert, Anchorage, AK 40:55; 74. Eden Johnsen, Anchorage, AK 40:55; 75. Megan Gobeille, Chugiak, AK 40:56; 76. Tirza Cannon, Anchorage, AK 41:08; 77. Rosemary Reynolds, Anchorage, AK 41:13; 78. Lori Guyer, Anchorage, AK 41:14; 79. Lillian Konrath-Bera, Chugiak, AK 41:14; 80. Rosalyn Singleton, Eagle River, AK 41:16; 81. Emily Gulanczyk, Anchorage, AK 41:24; 82. Kayla Scherf, Eagle River, AK 41:25; 83. Haley Young, Wasilla, AK 41:27; 84. Elsa Sternicki, Anchorage, AK 41:34; 85. Mary Kaye Dolan-Hall, Eagle River, AK 41:35; 86. Julie Booher, Eagle River, AK 41:43; 87. Kira Fagerstrom, Wasilla, AK 41:46; 88. Jodi McLaughlin, Anchorage, AK 41:57; 89. Lauren Smayda, Anchorage, AK 41:58; 90. Nina Schwinghammer, Anchorage, AK 41:59; 91. Estrella Molle, Anchorage, AK 41:59; 92. Mari Rueter, Anchorage, AK 42:06; 93. Tereza Neveceralova, Wasilla, AK 42:08; 94. Lindsey Hiltner, Anchorage, AK 42:11; 95. Janet Warner, Eagle River, AK 42:15; 96. Rachel Stein, Palmer, AK 42:27; 97. Marilyn Sandford, Anchorage, AK 42:30; 98. Kayla Snyder, Eagle River, AK 42:30; 99. Kaitlyn DePlasco, Anchorage, AK 42:36; 100. Chrissy Barber, Anchorage, AK 42:51
Survivor
1. Kikkan Randall, Anchorage, AK 31:48; 2. Valerie Watkins, Anchorage, AK 39:07; 3. Cynthia Decker, Anchorage, AK 39:17; 4. Mary Kaye Dolan-Hall, Eagle River, AK 41:35; 5. Tina Powers, Eagle River, AK 43:24; 6. Lesley Yamauchi, Anchorage, AK 45:33; 7. Diane Trammell, Yakima, WA 47:32; 8. Annette Funk, Anchorage, AK 48:13; 9. Tricia Perkins, Anchorage, AK 50:58; 10. Vera Hershey, Wasilla, AK 52:28; 11. Sheri Boggs, Soldotna, AK 53:25; 12. Sharyl Toscano, Anchorage, AK 55:11; 13. Roxanne Caletena, Anchorage, AK 55:23; 14. Ecaterina Alexandru, Willow, AK 56:23; 15. Lori Stender, Eagle River, AK 56:23; 16. Meg Kurtagh, Anchorage, AK 56:33; 17. Patty Christian, Eagle River, AK 57:50; 18. Elaine Tibbetts, Anchorage, AK 58:39; 19. Kevyn Jalone, Anchorage, AK 1:03:10; 20. Dorys Higgins, Willow, AK 1:03:16; 21. Sarah Burrows, Anchorage, AK 1:03:16; 22. Unknown Runner, 1:05:59; 23. Qian Chen, Anchorage, AK 1:07:26; 24. Laurie Schmidt, Anchorage, AK 1:07:27; 25. Denise Hanson, Anchorage, AK 1:07:48; 26. Lauren McQuillan, Eagle River, AK 1:07:48; 27. Diane Frank, Anchorage, AK 1:08:17; 28. Tracy Anna Bader, Anchorage, AK 1:08:27; 29. Patricia Montague, Girdwood, AK 1:11:42; 30. Carol McNeese, Anchorage, AK 1:15:21; 31. Brittan Olsen, Anchorage, AK 1:16:32; 32. Leah Davies, eagle river ak, AK 1:16:34; 33. Julie Baumann, Anchorage, AK 1:16:35; 34. Patricia Anderson, Anchorage, AK 1:17:29; 35. Barbara Lane, Anchorage, AK 1:21:15; 36. Mary Ann Renkert, Anchorage, AK 1:21:19; 37. Jean Funatake, Anchorage, AK 1:21:24; 38. Jacquelyn Wellman, Wasilla, AK 1:22:21; 39. Jan Johnston, Anchorage, AK 1:23:52; 40. Megan Norgaard, Anchorage, AK 1:24:13; 41. Olivia Jenkins, Anchorage, AK 1:24:32; 42. Nancy Correll, Wasilla, AK 1:25:03; 43. Marcia Wakeland, Eagle River, AK 1:25:31; 44. Ljiljana Rezic, Anchorage, AK 1:25:40; 45. Anna Maria Knutson, Wasilla, AK 1:26:04; 46. Lora Lynch, Anchorage, AK 1:26:07; 47. Marla Greenstein, Anchorage, AK 1:26:25; 48. Carol Russell, Anchorage, AK 1:27:34; 49. Kelly Harrington, Anchorage, AK 1:28:48; 50. Cassandra Raun, Anchorage, AK 1:29:04
Winds and fire activity decreased Friday as U.S. Wildland Fire Service personnel and aircraft made progress toward containing the Kopshesut Fire (#137), burning about a mile west of Ambler.
Water dropping aircraft and smokejumpers made solid progress on the eastern side of the fire and are reporting about 20% containment. Satellite images show the fire’s perimeter now covers nearly 1,500 acres. Especially because this is an early‑season fire, it is not burning all the vegetation within that area. Hardwoods, willows, and alders usually don’t carry fire well this time of year. Instead, the fire has mainly spread through black spruce — the dominant tree across much of the area — and is not burning into deeper ground layers, making the flames easier to extinguish. The fire has reached the edge of the Kobuk River about a mile southwest of Ambler.
On Thursday, wind gusts up to 30 mph pushed the flames from their starting point at the nearby landfill, carrying the fire through black spruce to the southeast toward the Kobuk River rather than directly toward Ambler. Those winds decreased to 15 mph on Friday. The fast‑moving fire did burn a nearby Native allotment.
Water, whether coming from hoses used by smokejumpers on the ground or dropped from helicopters and airplanes, is having a noticeable impact on calming the flames. Two single‑engine water scoopers delivered more than 100,000 gallons on Thursday and Friday, with 70,200 gallons dropped on Friday alone. Each AT‑802F aircraft can scoop up to 800 gallons in about 15 seconds by skimming across a waterbody at roughly 75 mph. With favorable conditions — such as a clear, debris‑free stretch of the Kobuk River at least 2,200 feet long — the aircraft have been able to increase the number of drops per fuel cycle to 27, resulting in a higher volume of water delivered before needing to refuel.
The USWFS Midnight Sun Hotshots arrived in Ambler on Friday and will take over work on the eastern edge while smokejumpers shift to the western side. The North Star Fire Crew — the USWFS Alaska training crew — is shuttling to Ambler today and will join smokejumpers on the west edge of the fire Sunday. Each federal firefighting hand crew has just over 20 firefighters.
PREDICTED WEATHER — Cooler temperatures are expected Saturday, with a small chance of afternoon showers. Minimum humidity should stay around 45% through the start of the week. Winds will come from the south to southwest at about 10 mph. Another weather system is expected Sunday afternoon and evening, bringing more widespread showers and a better chance of meaningful rainfall, with totals between 0.05 and 0.15 inches through Sunday night.
AIR QUALITY — There is considerable concern about the noxious smoke produced by the burning material in the landfill where the fire began. Both wildfire smoke and smoke from burning trash contain fine particles and other pollutants that can be very harmful to people’s health. These particles can irritate the eyes and lungs and are especially dangerous for Elders, young children, and people with heart or respiratory conditions. Even short‑term exposure can worsen breathing problems. At this time, smoke from the Kopshesut Fire has not significantly drifted into Ambler, but residents should stay alert to changing conditions and take steps to protect their health if smoke moves into the community.
Contact Public Affairs Specialist Beth Ipsen at Elizabeth_ipsen@ios.doi.gov or (907)356-5510 for more information.
Read all Kopshesut Fire updates.
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Map showing the Kopshesut Fire’s perimeter near Ambler on June 6, 2026. Click on map for PDF version to download or click here for an interactive map of the area.-USWFS-
U.S. Wildland Fire Service, P.O. Box 35005 1541 Gaffney Road, Fort Wainwright, Ak 99703
Need public domain imagery to complement news coverage of the USWFS in Alaska? Visit our Flickr channel!
Learn more online, and on Facebook and Twitter.
Categories: AK Fire Info, US Wildland Fire Service
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