Nenana Ridge Complex

### Nenana Ridge Complex Fire Report - July 28, 2025 ### Fire Start, Size and Growth **Start Date/Time/Location**: The Nenana Ridge Complex, a combination of the Bonanza Creek Fire and the Goldstream Creek Fire, was first reported on June 22, 2025, around 12:08 a.m. The fires are located southwest of Fairbanks, Alaska. **Size and Containment**: As of July 27, 2025, the Nenana Ridge Complex has burned approximately 33,069 acres. The Bonanza Creek Fire component is at 12,586 acres with 22% containment, and the Goldstream Creek Fire is at 20,483 acres with 42% containment. As of July 26, 2025, the overall complex containment was reported at 31%. **Fuels, Growth and Rate of Spread**: The primary fuels consist of timber, specifically black spruce and other boreal mixed woods, as well as short grass and brush. Fire behavior has generally been minimal, characterized by creeping, smoldering, and isolated torching. However, during periods of red flag conditions, intense fire behavior, including runs up to the George Parks Highway, has been observed. Recent rainfall has helped to moderate fire activity. Despite precipitation, a thick layer of organic material (duff) within the fire perimeter continues to hold heat, requiring ongoing efforts to extinguish these deeper smoldering areas. **Containment Efforts**: The response involves various incident management teams, with a transition from Georgia Type 3 IMT to Alaska IMT Team 2 occurring around July 7, 2025. As of July 27, 2025, a total of 304 personnel were engaged in firefighting efforts, utilizing ground crews, aerial support (helicopters with buckets, water scoopers, air tankers), strategic firing tactics, hose lays, sprinklers, and the construction and reinforcement of dozer lines. ### Emergency Information **Evacuations and Sheltering:** **Evacuation Levels**: Evacuation levels were downgraded on Monday, July 21st, by the Fairbanks North Star Borough and the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management along the Parks Highway corridor. * **Level 3 'GO!'**: Includes areas outside the borough from the western edge, 4.5 miles west; from Sled Road north for 7 miles from the Alaska Railroad, encompassing Standard Creek Road and nearby timber harvest access areas, and areas more than half a mile west of the highway corridor from MP 317 to the borough boundary. Also includes areas more than half a mile east of the highway corridor from MP 312 to the borough boundary and to the Tanana River east of Maich Logging Rd. Inside the borough, this includes zones like Skinny Dick's Logging Road, Nenana Ridge Forestry Road, and Bonanza Creek Forestry Area. * **Level 2 'SET'**: Applies to areas within half a mile on each side of the highway from MP 317 north to the borough boundary (outside the borough). Inside the borough, it covers areas within half a mile on each side of the highway from the borough boundary to north MP 338, and the Standard Cache zone, including the middle portion of Standard Creek Road and the beginning of Cache Creek Road. * **Level 1 'READY'**: Outside the borough, this includes Parks Highway MP 308-317 extending west of the highway to include homes along Little Goldstream Road, agricultural areas, and the Alaska Railroad, as well as areas east of the highway to include homes and agricultural areas west of Maich Logging Rd, including Farmview Subdivision. Inside the borough, it covers evacuation zones Parks Mile 338-342, Old Nenana Highway, Standard Creek, Old Ridge Trail, and Cache Creek Road. **Evacuation Shelters and Information**: For evacuation and sheltering assistance, residents can call 907-888-5036. **Road and Infrastructure Closures:** * **Parks Highway**: Significant delays are expected on the Parks Highway due to heavy smoke, active fire, and firefighter safety. The Alaska Department of Transportation is assisting with flaggers and pilot cars, but escorts are intermittent and unscheduled. Extreme caution is advised for drivers. A separate construction project is also causing traffic delays along the highway. * **State Forest Roads**: State forest roads within and surrounding the fire remain restricted to public access for firefighter safety. **For more information, visit:** * [Alaska Wildland Fire Information](https://www.akfireinfo.com/) (Facebook: facebook.com/AK.Forestry) * [511.alaska.gov](http://511.alaska.gov/) for real-time road updates. * [dot.alaska.gov/nreg/parks319to325/](https://dot.alaska.gov/nreg/parks319to325/) for information on the unrelated construction project on the Parks Highway. ### Current Impact **Impacts:** **Structures Impacted**: The fires have threatened communication towers, watershed, fishing streams, spawning sites, wildlife, environmental and cultural resources, commercial sites, and parts of the George Parks Highway, the Alaska Railroad, and the Alaska Energy Authority's Alaska Intertie transmission line. **School and Business Closures**: No specific school or business closures have been reported in the immediate vicinity of the fires. **Notable Impacts**: The fires have threatened critical infrastructure, including parts of the George Parks Highway and the Alaska Railroad. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs, recognizing the threat to homes near Nenana and Fairbanks and the potential for destruction constituting a major disaster. **Safety Concerns:** **Power Outages**: No specific power outages have been reported. **Water Safety**: No specific water safety concerns have been reported. **Burn Bans**: Information on current burn bans or fire restrictions is not readily available in the provided snippets. **Air Quality**: Widespread wildfire activity in Alaska and Canada has generated smoke that has spread over large areas, impacting air quality. A clean air room has been established at Noel Wien Library for those affected by smoke. Air quality in Fairbanks was reported as "Good" with an AQI of 13 on July 28, 2025. ### Ongoing Outlook **Containment Projections**: Containment efforts are ongoing, with the Bonanza Creek Fire at 22% containment and the Goldstream Creek Fire at 42% containment as of July 27, 2025. Firefighters are working to extinguish heat within the duff layer, which requires significant moisture to fully put out. There is a concern that deep duff and heat could cause the fire to reemerge if a drying trend occurs. **Weather and Wind Warnings**: As of July 28, 2025, the weather forecast for Nenana includes light rain with a 40-45% chance of rain during the day and night. Temperatures are expected to be between 56°F (13°C) and 64°F (18°C) with humidity around 90%. A cold front is approaching, bringing cool and moist conditions. While recent precipitation has moderated fire behavior, there is anticipation for warmer and drier weather in the coming days, which could lead to increased fire activity. ### Cause and the Role of Weather and Climate **Cause**: The cause of the Nenana Ridge Complex fires is undetermined. **Weather and Climate**: The fires were initially reported to have started from lightning. Continued dry weather and low humidity in the period leading up to July 2, 2025, resulted in increased wildfire activity. Red Flag Warnings were in effect around July 4, 2025, due to a forecast of gusty winds, low humidity, and high temperatures, which contributed to intense fire behavior and rapid fire spread. The recent cooler and wetter weather has helped to moderate fire behavior. However, the deep duff layer retains heat, posing a risk of re-ignition if drier conditions return. ### For more information, visit: * [Alaska Wildland Fire Information](https://www.akfireinfo.com/) * [Nenana Ridge Complex Fire Map](https://wildfire.ak.blm.gov/Website/IncidentReport.aspx?FireID=202501238) * [Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection](https://forestry.alaska.gov/)

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