Wildfire in Alaska, June 8 to 22, 2006

Name: Wildfire in Alaska, June 8 to 22, 2006
Start: 2006-06-08T12:00
End: 2006-06-22T12:00
Location: Alaska

June 8 to 22, 2006 · NWS AFG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A wildfire began from an out-of-control burn pile on June 7. The Parks Highway was totally closed on a few occasions and otherwise had reduced speed through the fire area.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $325,000
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 AFG wrote it up.

A wildfire began from an out-of-control burn pile on June 7. The Parks Highway was totally closed on a few occasions and otherwise had reduced speed through the fire area. The Alaska Railroad was closed at times between the 8th and 11th. Power was down in Nenana and Anderson on occasion during the 10th and 11th. Voluntary evacuation of Nenana residents was begun late on the 9th and ended on the 12th. Two homes on the south end of Nenana, two cabins and 10 outbuildings or sheds were destroyed by the fire. Damage estimated at $150,000 per home, $10,000 per cabin and $500 per shed. Rain over the area in late June and early July halted fire growth, though slow increase occurred in late July. Acres burned in June were around 115,000. On June 19 the Alaska Railroad resumed normal operations and highway speed restrictions were lifted. At the height of the suppression effort around June 18 there were 562 personnel assigned to the fire.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Fairbanks, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 8, 11:26 AM AST, 34 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 8, 11:26 AM AST, 34 minutes before

NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
1226 PM ADT THU JUN 8 2006

.DISCUSSION...
HIGH PRESSURE RIDGING ALOFT WILL BUILD OVER THE INTERIOR
FRIDAY. THE RIDGE LINE WILL MOVE NORTHWARD FRIDAY NIGHT
AND SATURDAY...ALLOWING A MODERATE TO STRONG SOUTH TO
SOUTHEAST FLOW TO BECOME ESTABLISHED.

AN OCCLUDED FRONTAL SYSTEM ASSOCIATED WITH A DEEPENING
LOW IN THE NORTH PACIFIC WILL MOVE NORTHWARD TO SOUTHWEST
ALASKA LATE TODAY AND TONIGHT. THIS FRONT MAY BRING SOME
RAIN TO ZONES 210-211-212-213-214-215 TONIGHT AND FRIDAY.

WITH MODERATE TO STRONG SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST FLOW SETTING
UP OVER THE INTERIOR...WARMER TEMPERATURES CAN BE EXPECTED.
HIGH TEMPERATURES SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY WILL LIKELY REACH
80 AT SOME LOW ELEVATION SITES. HIGHS IN THE MID TO UPPER 70S
CAN BE EXPECTED AS FAR WEST AS THE FIARBANKS AREA FRIDAY THROUGH
SUNDAY.

RED FLAG CONDITIONS WILL LIKELY CONTINUE IN EASTERN INTERIOR
ZONES THROUGH THE WEEKEND AS A LEESIDE/THERMAL TROUGH DEVELOPS IN
THE INTERIOR AND STRONG SURFACE RIDGING PERSISTS OVER THE EASTERN
NORTH GULF COAST. WINDS WILL BE ESPECIALLY GUSTY IN ALASKA RANGE
PASSES AND IN THE BIG DELTA AREA. NO CONVECTION IS EXPECTED THIS
WEEKEND DUE TO THE DRY SOUTHERLY FLOW...BUT WITH LOW HUMIDITIES
DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING...FIRE WEATHER WILL BECOME AN
INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT ISSUE. MINIMUM HUMIDITIES TOMORROW
AFTERNOON IN THE NENANA-FAIRBANKS-BIG DELTA AREAS WILL BE AROUND
20 PERCENT.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
RED FLAG WARNING FOR AKZ220-AKZ221-AKZ222-AKZ223-AKZ225-AKZ226.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR PKZ220.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ225-PKZ230.
&&

RF JUN 06

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Wrn Tanana Vly Wrn Yukon Vly

When: June 8, 12:00 PM AST to June 22, 12:00 PM AST
Where: Wrn Tanana Vly Wrn Yukon Vly forecast zone
Property damage: $325,000
Reported by: OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY

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 2006 Every state in 2006 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, June 2006

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: 5518815.