Mukluk Fire, Tok, Alaska (2026)

This fire in numbersDay 47

2,970Hectares7,339Acres47Days burning

Containment70%

Started on Aug 17, 2026. 30% of the perimeter still to contain.

United States todayLive

74Active684Hotspots 48h924 kHectares

Last 7 days · steady

All United States wildfires

Mukluk Fire (Alaska) — Sentinel-2 true color

Mukluk Fire (Alaska) — Sentinel-2 SWIR (fuego)

True view Fire view

⟷

True view (left): as the eye sees it.
Fire view (right): infrared (SWIR), sees through smoke and brings out the heat.

🟢 green = vegetation
🟤 brown = already burned
🟠 orange = fire right now

Drag to compare: normal photo on the left, heat brought out on the right.

Green: vegetationBrown: already burnedOrange: fire right nowSentinel-2 · Copernicus

Red dots: heat detected by satellite in the last 48h. NASA FIRMS

Quick facts

Location: 2 miles west of Tok, AK
Cause: Human
People working on it: 20 people
Complexity: Type 1 IncidentOfficial scale from 5 to 1: a Type 1 is the most complex in the country.
What's burning: Timber (Grass and Understory)
How it's behaving: MinimalCreeping — Moves slowly, hugging the ground.Smoldering — Burning without flame, in the ground or in roots. Can flare up days later.Isolated Torching — Single scattered trees flaring up whole, like torches.
Jurisdiction: DNR · Private land

Glossary: what each term means

Minimal

Barely moving. Low, thin smoke.

Smoldering

Burning without flame, in the ground or in roots. Can flare up days later.

Creeping

Moves slowly, hugging the ground.

Moderate

Spreads with low, steady flames.

Active

Spreading evenly and steadily, with visible flame.

Extreme

Fast and unpredictable.

Running

Runs along the ground much faster than a person walks.

Flanking

Grows along the sides, not head-on.

Backing

Moves against the wind or downhill, which makes it slower.

Crowning

Climbs into the treetops and jumps crown to crown. It can't be attacked from the ground.

Short Crown Runs

Climbs into the crowns in bursts and drops back down.

Torching

Whole trees flaring up like torches.

Isolated Torching

Single scattered trees flaring up whole, like torches.

Group Torching

Whole clumps of trees flaring at once.

Spotting

Wind carries embers through the air and starts new fires ahead of the front: that is how a fire jumps a road or a firebreak.

Wind Driven Runs

The wind pushes it in long runs in one direction.

The ones marked ● are the behaviors that make a fire harder to stop. They are not a warning or an instruction: they are the description written by the agency in charge. For decisions, always follow your emergency services.

Burning for 28 days through timber, grass, and understory on private land near Tok, Alaska, the human-caused Mukluk Fire has grown at an average rate of approximately 262 acres per day, accumulating a total footprint of 7,339 acres in Southeast Fairbanks. Despite its steady progression over nearly a month, the active blaze currently exhibits minimal, creeping, and smoldering behavior with isolated torching.

Firefighting efforts are being supported by 27 personnel operating under a Type 4 Incident Commander and a Type 1 Incident complexity classification, funded by costs reaching $11,870,000 through the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). These combined tactical operations have successfully brought the fire to 70 percent containment as crews monitor the perimeter.

This incident unfolds during the region's typical fire season, which runs from June to October. On a broader scale, the national landscape has seen 3,216,925 hectares burned so far in 2026, a figure that remains 41 percent below the two-decade average.

In context

This wildfire has been burning in Alaska for 46 days. So far it has affected roughly 7,339 acres — about 30 km². About 70% of the perimeter is contained — over half is secured, though hotspots remain.

In the Northern Hemisphere, wildfire activity usually peaks during the warm, dry months — roughly May through October.