Dozens evacuated from DOT camp and homes as fire near Fairbanks grows

Update, 12 p.m. Friday: The Elliott Highway was reopened Friday morning, but drivers in the area should expect delays and fire conditions, said John Perreault, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.

It’s possible the highway could be closed again on Friday, depending on fire conditions, he said. Officials warned drivers to watch for flaggers, use headlights, and anticipate possible delays.

The Bureau of Land Management announced Friday that the western portion of the White Mountains National Recreation Area would close due to the fire early Saturday. The closure includes nearby trails, public use cabins, trail shelters and the Wickersham Dome Trailhead at Mile 28 of the highway, the bureau said in a statement. The trailhead may be used as a basecamp for nearby firefighters, it said.

The closure was expected to stay in place until through August or until BLM officials determine the areas are safe for public use.

Original story:

Rapidly increasing wildfire activity in Interior Alaska on Thursday prompted evacuation orders for residents and road closures along a stretch of the Elliott Highway north of Fairbanks as lightning sparked numerous new blazes.

The lightning-sparked Globe Fire was threatening around 20 homes by Thursday from Mile 39 to 48, said Beth Ipsen, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Land Management’s Alaska Fire Service. Some residents had already evacuated to Fairbanks by morning, she said.

About 70 to 80 additional people stationed at a camp in the area while they worked on a road construction project evacuated early Thursday, said John Perreault, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.

Later Thursday, the state transportation department closed the Elliott Highway to traffic between Mile 28 and 48 after the Globe Fire grew and reached the road.

Estimated at more than 1,500 acres Thursday morning, the fire was first reported Tuesday at 1 acre with no flames and little smoke, but quickly spread through black spruce, fire officials said.

Easterly winds began to push the flames toward the highway on Wednesday, Ipsen said. Thunderstorms on Wednesday night caused erratic winds that made it challenging to control the blaze, she said. More storms were expected Thursday, she said.

Efforts to slow the fire by air, with water scoopers or air retardant, were also hampered on Wednesday by reduced visibility and smoke, officials said.

A red flag warning was in effect Thursday for areas north of the Alaska Range to the Brooks Range and from the Canadian border to McGrath, officials said. High temperatures and winds paired with dry conditions in the area created dangerous fire conditions. Ipsen said additional lightning was possible on Thursday, which could spark new fires.

As of Thursday, burn permits were suspended for Mat-Su, Fairbanks, the Valdez-Copper River area, and Delta and Tok until conditions improve.

Officials were monitoring a number of new fires on Thursday and evaluating how best to manage existing fires that continued to grow, Ipsen said.

The state’s largest fire was burning near Fairbanks after the Clear and McDonald fires merged into one more than 107,000-acre blaze west of the Tanana River, according to an update Thursday afternoon. Hotshot crews were continuing to secure fireline and provide structure protection on cabins along 5 Mile Creek and military infrastructure, according to fire officials. The McDonald Fire was started by lightning on June 8.

Fire crews continued Thursday to suppress blazes near Central and Circle that started earlier this week and threatened to move toward Alaska Native allotments and homes in the area. The fires were roughly 160 acres combined and crews had made good progress on containing them by Thursday, Ipsen said.

As conditions remain dangerous, Ipsen said it’s especially important for people to be cautious when they start fires and make sure any campfires are completely out before leaving the area.

By Thursday morning, roughly 196,000 acres had burned statewide in 264 fires, according to the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center’s daily report.