Denali National Park was closed to the public again on Wednesday as firefighters worked to contain wildfires that have prompted emergency closures and evacuations during the park’s busiest week.
The park remained closed heading into Thursday’s Independence Day celebrations and the long weekend that follows. Park officials said Wednesday afternoon they still didn’t know when it would reopen. The closure has disrupted thousands of visitors who had planned to visit over the holiday weekend.
Park spokeswoman Anastasia Breeze said park officials are assessing the fire situation daily to determine when it’s safe to open the park again. No date has been set for the park to reopen, she said.
Officials said as of Wednesday, the Riley Fire was about 25% contained at just under 390 acres, about a mile south of the park entrance. The cause of the fire remained unknown when two investigators arrived on scene Wednesday, authorities said.
The rapid spread of the fire on Sunday prompted evacuations of employee housing and campgrounds, the suspension of passenger train service and power outages to businesses, restaurants and lodging in the Nenana Valley, known as Glitter Gulch, near the park entrance. Power was restored to the area overnight but remained without power during the day as firefighting efforts resumed.
Rangers continued to turn day visitors and vehicles away from the park. The park’s campgrounds were closed late Wednesday morning.
The park wasn’t completely deserted: Four climbing teams were still descending Denali on Wednesday, and seven remained in the backcountry, according to park service spokesman Paul Ollig, who said about 160 people were fighting the fire in the park, 120 park staff were living in homes that had not been evacuated, and about 60 park staff were responding to the incident, some of whom were living in homes that were still open.
Park officials say about 150 park employees had to be evacuated. Taylor Thorsen, a spokeswoman for the American Red Cross in Alaska, said Wednesday that about 100 people were evacuated to a school in Healy on Tuesday night.
[Wind-whipped wildfires north of Fairbanks trigger more evacuations and highway delays]
The Alaska Railroad suspended rail service into the park on the third day. Passengers traveled by trail between Anchorage and Talkeetna, Healy and Fairbanks, and by bus between Talkeetna, Denali, and Healy.
Beth Ipsen, a spokeswoman for the Alaska Bureau of Land Management fire marshal’s office, said cooler weather and clouds helped fight the fire Wednesday. Firefighters were focused on the north and south sides of the fire Wednesday, Ipsen said. She said additional firefighters were expected to arrive Wednesday night or Thursday morning to help put the blaze under control.
“Conditions are improving and we are hopeful we can get some containment of the fires,” Ipsen said.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.