Water tenders aid firefighters in the Pogo Road Mine Fire in August 2023. (Zak Overmyer/Alaska Division for Forestry and Fire Protection)

The two largest active wildfires in Alaska are currently burning throughout the Delta Junction area.

As as of Monday it was reported that as of Monday, the Pogo Mine Road Fire covered more than 25,000 acres surrounding the Trans Alaska Pipeline and the underground access road to the gold mine. The Delta Fire had burned over 20000 acres of military and state lands to the south along Richardson Highway. Richardson Highway.

The Pogo Mine Road Fire fire has increased dramatically over the past weekend. In an update posted online on Monday night, Delta area state fire chief Michael Goyette said firefighters are trying to secure structures.

“The fire is advancing through the structures, and eventually to through the pipeline” the man said.

Goyette said that the fire is mainly moving towards the north-northeast.

“Up into the mountain ranges far of the road, pipeline and power line and additional residence(s). We are currently working on preparing the houses and are getting them ready if they are needed on the Pogo Road at the entranceway,” he said.

Protection of structures is taking place on structure protection work on the Delta Fire. And Goyette reported the smaller fire that was in the area called the Mt. Hayes Fire was burning to the south along the Alaska Highway and was crossing over the Gerstle River, prompting air attacks late on Monday.

“A group of aircraft attempting to keep that from some of the slough ways as well as that of the Gerstle River,” he stated.

Goyette also discussed the massive smoke from the wildfires affecting the region Noting that even though smoke can cause problems for health and safety but it can be beneficial for firefighters.

“When there’s the smoke rising down due to the inversion, it helps keep the fire behavior at bay. This allows firefighters and their equipment to get there and bring more fire lines in, prepare structures,” he said.

Cooler temperatures and showers are on the horizon, however there were more than 2,500 lightning strikes across Alaska as well as in the Yukon Territory on Monday alone. The majority of those strikes occurred within areas like the Ray Mountains, west of the Dalton Highway and south of the Koyukuk River.