Wildfire in Alaska, June 2 to 12, 1996

Name: Wildfire in Alaska, June 2 to 12, 1996
Start: 1996-06-02T00:00
End: 1996-06-12T00:00
Location: Alaska

June 2 to 12, 1996 · NWS AFC · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Apparent fire works touched off one of the most expensive fires to affect the state. On June 2nd, a small fire began.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $10 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS AFC wrote it up.

Apparent fire works touched off one of the most expensive fires to affect the state. On June 2nd, a small fire began. It "blew up" on Sunday at around 1030 pm as brisk north winds developed (very unusual for this time of year). Gusty north winds turned to the northeast then southeast during the next several days. The fire burned across 37,330 acres of land...much of it in the Big Lake area where many recreational homes, cabins and businesses are/were located. The fire was named "Miller's Reach", however due to its proximity to the Lake, quickly became known as the "Big Lake" fire. It was finally contained late on Monday, June 10th...after causing an estimated 10 million dollars damage to structures.

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Ck Inlt Susitna(C) / Homer(C)

When: June 2, 12:00 AM AST to June 12, 12:00 AM AST
Where: Ck Inlt Susitna(C) / Homer(C) County, Big Lake
Measured: 32
Property damage: $10 million

What these are

Wildfire: A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alaska in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, June 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5544033.