Single Publication

Minto Lakes Daily Fire Update July 16, 2022

Acres: 37,554 acres | Containment: 52% | Total personnel: 263

Start Date: June 21, 2022, | Cause: Lightning| Location: Located between Washington Creek and the Chatanika River Fuels: Hardwoods and hardwood litter, timber, black spruce

Highlights: Firefighters are working hard to improve and maintain containment of the fire. Crews are continuing to mop up and back haul equipment no longer needed across all Divisions. Repair work is being done in areas where suppression efforts were successfully completed. Pockets of unburned fuels are being addressed to eliminate their threat to the current perimeter.

Please continue to limit unnecessary travel to areas around the fire perimeter where fire personnel are working. This includes the Murphy Dome area down to the MDR Boat Ramp and the Chatanika River. Equipment and fire fighters are working around the Hayes and Himilaya Subdivisions, please use caution in these areas. The fire area remains under a fuels and fire behavior advisory. Fuels and Fire Behavior Advisory.

Operations:  With the currently received and expected precipitation across the fire the incident focus is shifting to securing the footprint of the fire and maintaining the fire within it. Helicopters and boats are being utilized to retrieve equipment no longer needed. Firefighters will continue to provide for mop up and tactically patrolling around the values at risk. Additional hand crews have been swapped in along the river. Heavy equipment is beginning suppression repair of the dozer line that was put in place to protect the communities east of the fire. Structure preparation work has been completed, among the communities of Himilaya and Hayes Creek and un-needed supplies are being removed. Along the Chatanika river moving west from the communities of the Himilaya/Hayes Creek assessments along the river, as well as the structure group around the Murphy Dome area have been completed and logged for later use. Crews continue to reinforce fire line and mop up heat around the Native allotments on the southwestern flank. Resource Advisors have been assigned to the incident for the protection of natural and cultural resources.

Evacu ations: For the Fairbanks North Star Borough Emergency Operations evacuation map. Follow the FNSB Government Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/FNSBGov) for updates and notifications. Receive FNSB Emergency Alerts via text message by texting: FNSBWildFire2022 to 67283.https://tinyurl.com/MintoLakes. Follow the FNSB Government Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/FNSBGov) for updates and notifications. Receive FNSB Emergency Alerts via text message by texting: FNSBWildFire2022 to 67283.