News Release

Portion of Clear Creek Fire is in the North Denali Border

Date: August 11, 2023
Contact: Sharon Stiteler, [phone]

Denali Park, AK –The Clear Creek Fire (Fire #277) was identified on August 5, 2023, and is 52,673 acres in size and currently in "monitor status." Approximately 1,000 acres of the fire are in the northern boundary of Denali National Park and Preserve along the Toklat River to the east and in some rocky ridges with low fuel to the west. The fire is not expected to grow based on current weather conditions and fire behavior.

Last Saturday and Sunday (August 5 - 6) the area experienced Red Flag conditions, with low relative humidities and high winds causing exponential fire growth. The fire at that time was approximately 500 acres and quickly grew to its current size of over 50,000 acres. The predominant direction of spread was to the north, and the winds remained in a consistent direction and speed that limited the growth of fire on the flanks. The result was a very long but thin overall fire footprint that did not threaten any identified National Park Service (NPS) infrastructure and did not create hazardous smoke conditions for park visitors or staff. 

Since that two-day burn period, the area has received enough precipitation throughout the week to greatly reduce behavior across the fire. There are no suppression actions planned or expected at this time and Alaska Fire Service (AFS) continues to monitor the fire with aerial observation flights. Overall, the fire did some good things on the land. 

Naturally occurring wildland fires are important to the health of ecosystems in Denali, but wildfire smoke can pose a significant threat to human health. Park visitors may encounter smoke from wildfires in the state.

More information about air quality, current fire conditions in or near the park, maps, and safety preparedness can be found at DenaliBorough.org.