Fairbanks

Interior Alaska wildfire destroys homes near Anderson as evacuation area expands to Parks Highway

An unknown number of homes and cabins were destroyed by a wildfire Wednesday night and additional evacuations were announced Thursday as conditions suddenly worsened near the Interior Alaska town of Anderson off the Parks Highway.

Fires fueled by hot, dry conditions have raged throughout the state this year, some also threatening structures and prompting evacuations as more than 1,000 firefighters from Alaska and the Lower 48 push them back. More than 450 blazes had burned nearly 2.4 million acres by Thursday morning.

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On the Clear Fire near Anderson, winds increased suddenly Wednesday evening, prompting extreme fire behavior that pushed the flames toward a subdivision, officials say. The lightning-sparked fire began on June 21 and had grown to more than 55,000 acres in just over two weeks.

State fire officials issued an “urgent update” Wednesday evening after the blaze breached fire lines: “If you are in the ‘Go’ section in the subdivisions accessed by Kobe Road and you have not evacuated, TAKE YOUR FAMILY AND PETS AND LEAVE NOW.”

Another evacuation notice was posted Thursday afternoon by the Denali Borough urging people to immediately leave all properties accessed by roads, trails and driveways on either side of the Parks Highway between Mile 273 and Mile 281, just south of Anderson and Clear. Evacuation sites were open at the Tri-Valley School in Healy and the Nenana City School.

Later Thursday, the borough elevated other areas to Level 2 “set” status, meaning people there should be ready to leave if told to evacuate. In addition to Anderson and Clear, that includes those living east of the Nenana River between Miles 270-273 and 280-298 of the Parks Highway, along with those living west of the Nenana River between Miles 264-269 of the highway, including the Bear Creek and June Creek areas.

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The Parks Highway remained open as of 5:20 p.m. Thursday, according to the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.

It wasn’t immediately clear how many structures had been lost in the fire area as of Thursday afternoon. Mark Enty, an information officer with Northwest Incident Management Team 10, said damage from the fire’s overnight push toward the subdivision is still under assessment.

Even as conditions peaked Wednesday night, not all residents of the Kobe Ag subdivision evacuated, Denali Borough Mayor Clay Walker said Thursday.

Several chose to stay and defend their homes, even knowing they were endangering themselves, Walker said. Some described a “firestorm” as they waited out the flames.

“This is probably one of the more independent-minded places not only in Alaska — and Alaska is pretty independent-minded, but in this section of Alaska there are some pretty hardy folks who’ve lived in a pretty fire-prone area for a long time and they’re doing their best,” he said.

The borough set up two shelters, but the mayor said only one person had used them as of Thursday morning while others were staying with friends and family or camping. He said no residents or firefighters were injured.

About 65 people live in several areas under evacuation notices fire managers first issued June 25, including the Kobe subdivision.

On Wednesday evening, the fire pushed through an east-west dozer line at the end of Diane Avenue and the north-south line at the west side of Kobe Ag, state Division of Forestry officials said.

“Firefighters working to protect structures on the west side of Kobe Ag had to evacuate due to extreme fire behavior and life-threatening conditions,” the agency said. “They remained near Rochester Way, working to protect structures where possible.”

Aircraft staged “an aggressive water and retardant attack from the air,” officials said. Firefighters worked overnight to put out spot fires and keep the fire west of the Nenana River. Managers were assessing the extent of the fire’s reach and the damage it wreaked on Thursday.

Firefighters who had to stand down Wednesday night have returned, Enty said, and were working where it’s safe to build fire lines and protect structures on the west side of the subdivision. A number of aircraft were still dropping water on the fire as well, he said.

Homes and cabins in the Anderson area under evacuation orders are remote and hard to access, Walker said. Roads aren’t maintained by the borough or state and some residents get in and out with snowmachines or all-terrain vehicles. Structures are built on large plots of land, sometimes spanning up to 40 acres.

A red flag warning was in effect until Sunday for much of Interior Alaska because lightning strikes were expected to pair with the already dangerous fire conditions.

Smoke advisories were issued for the region. Clouds of dense smoke produced by the wildfires limited visibility Thursday to less than a mile.

Evacuation levels had already been elevated for Anderson and Clear on Monday, as well as Clear Space Force Station — home to a sophisticated long-range radar system designed to bolster American missile defenses — and officials warned anyone in the area should be ready to leave if conditions rapidly change.

Evacuations will be recommended for the community of about 250 people if the fire crosses the main channel of the Nenana River toward Anderson, Walker said.

A community meeting was scheduled for Thursday night at the Anderson Fire Hall and will be broadcast online.

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Evacuation was recommended last week for a small group of cabins on the Chatanika River northwest of Fairbanks. As of Thursday, the 4,200-acre Minto Lakes Fire had not moved toward nearby subdivisions, although several were recommended to be ready to leave if conditions worsen. Crews worked at protecting structures and limiting the fire’s growth, officials said.

The Middle Tanana Complex fires prompted small evacuation recommendations for remote recreational cabins along the middle and upper areas of the Salcha River, said Sam Harrel, a public information officer with the state Division of Forestry. The nine fires grouped around the area have burned more than 29,000 acres since they started Sunday.

Some rural communities and homes are threatened by the Lime Complex fires, Harrel said. In total, 18 fires have spread to more than 785,000 acres west of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve since the first fire started by lightning on June 16. Improved visibility and rain aided firefighting efforts this week.

Across the state, there was little precipitation throughout June, setting near records in some areas. The dry conditions paired with sunshine and warm temperatures for much of the month.

State fire officials suspended the use of fireworks throughout much of the state and also implemented a burn closure order last week in hopes of preventing human-caused wildfires from starting over the Fourth of July weekend. Alaskans largely respected the orders, Harrel said, and while there were several reports of unattended campfires or burn and debris piles, none of the fires became dangerous or threatened property.

The acreage burned this year has tied a 2015 record for earliest point in the season to reach 2 million acres, Harrel said. More than 6 million acres burned in 2004 and more than 5 million burned in 2015.

“It’s not necessarily an indication that we’re going to reach (those amounts) but we’re kind of on track for it if we don’t get a change in the weather and it remains dry like it did in those years,” he said. “We could be dealing with this easily into August, September.”

The Daily News’ Megan Pacer contributed reporting.

Tess Williams

Tess Williams is a reporter focusing on breaking news and public safety. Before joining the ADN in 2019, she was a reporter for the Grand Forks Herald in North Dakota. Contact her at twilliams@adn.com.

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