Crews fight rapidly growing wildfire near Denali National Park entrance

A wildfire near the entrance to Denali National Park and Preserve was rapidly growing Sunday, covering at least 350 acres by evening and prompting evacuations of park employee housing, fire officials said.

The Riley Fire started in an area of black spruce near the Alaska Railroad, west across the Nenana River from Mile 239 of the Parks Highway, according to an update from the Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service. The fire, which grew from 20 acres in early afternoon to at least 350 acres by 5:15 p.m., wasn’t immediately threatening any structures, Denali National Park officials said in a statement.

On Sunday afternoon, BLM Alaska Fire Service said smokejumpers were reporting the fire as “100% active,” and while it was rapidly growing, it still remained west of the railroad and away from a commercial area in the Nenana River Canyon.

“There are water scoopers, an air tanker and helicopters working to keep the fire west of the railroad and away from populated areas,” fire officials said. Twenty-two smokejumpers were responding to the Riley Fire, according to BLM Alaska Fire Service, and the Tri-Valley Volunteer Fire Department and the McKinley Village Volunteer Fire Department were among the agencies involved in the initial response.

Within the park, westbound tour and transit bus services were halted and officials closed nearby trails and public facilities, such as the Denali Visitor Center, park officials said. Day-use visitors who were west of the park entrance area were being shuttled eastward, the park said.

The park also said that Denali National Park and partner employees were ordered to evacuate from some housing areas located near the entrance to the park. “Visitors staying in the Riley Creek Campground, as well as residents living further west inside the park, are being informed to standby and be ready to evacuate if necessary,” park officials said Sunday evening.

Smoke from the fire could be seen from nearby Glitter Gulch, a popular destination for visitors seeking shops, restaurants and lodging.

Nearly 130 Golden Valley Electric Association members lost power in the Glitter Gulch area, and the utility said on Facebook that it expects the outage was caused by the fire, though it didn’t know yet whether electrical structures were damaged or whether system protections triggered the outage. Line crews were on the way to the area to evaluate power line facilities, and delays in restoring power may be possible if damage was sustained, Golden Valley Electric said.

With warm and dry conditions in some areas, other fires continued to burn and more flared up across the state.

In the Mat-Su, firefighters on Sunday continued battling the Montana Creek Fire, which started the day before. The fire — located about 16 miles south of Talkeetna and near Mile 95 of the Parks Highway — grew from a quarter-acre Saturday afternoon to 172 acres Sunday, according to an update from the Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection. One outbuilding was lost to the fire, fire officials reported.

Federal, state and local municipalities responded to the fire with helicopters, scooper and retardant aircraft and hand crews, among other resources. Aided by cooler weather and rain, aerial assets were able to help cool the fire perimeter and slow its spread enough to enable fire crews “to construct direct handline and install hose lays where safe to do so,” fire officials said.

Officials asked residents along the Leroy Davie Road and Montana Creek Road corridors to be prepared to evacuate on short notice, although no evacuation orders were issued.

Smoke continued to affect travel along the Parks Highway on Sunday, and officials asked drivers to slow down and use caution between Mile 94 and 100 to allow personnel to safely respond to the fire.

On the Kenai Peninsula, another fire reported Saturday afternoon continued burning Sunday about 20 miles south of Soldotna, according to the Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection. The Tustumena Lake Fire, which was last reported at 55 acres, posed no threat to the public as of Sunday afternoon, fire officials said.

A helicopter crew shuttle brought firefighters to the area Saturday, and after smokejumpers assisted suppression efforts, the firefighters requested aerial support from retardant and water-scooping aircraft, fire officials said.

People within the Tustumena Lake Road corridor will continue to see smoke and aviation resources in the area, state fire officials said, noting that the Slackwater boat launch on the Kasilof River was closed for fire operations.

With hot, dry conditions in Interior Alaska on Sunday, several fires continued blazing across the region.

The McDonald Fire remained active, covering more than 145,000 acres as an initial attack crew and several hotshot crews responded Sunday, BLM Alaska Fire Service said in an update. “Over the next few days, firefighters will continue scouting for opportunities to slow or hold the fire as the perimeter continues to grow,” BLM Alaska Fire Service said.

The weather was expected to cool off starting Sunday evening and help slow down the fire.

For further information about Alaska wildland fires, visit akfireinfo.com.