Denali Borough officials report 90+ structure losses, debris removal and cellphone-alert gaps after June wildfires

Emergency management and borough staff told the Denali Borough Assembly on Aug. 13 that the Bear Creek and Saint George Creek wildfires destroyed dozens of structures, strained local communications and triggered a multi-pronged debris-removal effort.

The borough's incident assessment found 83 structures damaged or destroyed in the Bear Creek fire, including 39 homes or cabins and 15 primary residences, Emergency Manager Forrest (staff) said. The Bear Creek fire started June 19, was declared unstaffed July 24 and burned for more than a month before being contained, he said. The Saint George Creek fire damaged seven structures there; three were homes or cabins and one was a primary residence, Forrest said.

Why it matters: the tallies underscore local housing losses and point to a multi-agency recovery effort that borough staff described as ongoing. Assembly members and staff discussed housing displacement, the placement of temporary shelters and how to remove fire-damaged material safely.

What the borough is doing: borough staff and partner agencies placed 30‑yard dumpsters in affected areas for structure debris and worked with residents on hauling options. The borough will accept fire‑damaged structural debris at the landfill free of charge through the end of the year; borough‑staged dumpsters for property debris were scheduled to remain in place through Sept. 6. The borough advised residents that the dumpsters are intended for structure and vehicle debris, not burnt vegetation, which should be taken to transfer stations or burn sites where appropriate.

Sheltering and site use: Tri Valley School and other sites were used as evacuation centers; the superintendent reported the school opened classrooms rather than a full gymnasium to allow families to stay together and remain for longer periods. The school district said it has a rental agreement with the Division of Forestry for use of a facility (payment about $45,000) to support response operations.

Communications problems: staff described failures with targeted wireless emergency alerts during the incident. Borough staff said some phones in the same room received the alerts while others did not; they reported that Verizon customers statewide appeared not to receive certain emergency alerts. The borough has raised the problem with the state emergency operations center and the Federal Communications Commission, and is seeking a technical fix so targeted messages reach residents on all carriers.

Other response work: the borough noted work to repair damage caused during fire suppression, including regrading roads where bulldozers created firebreaks and returning felled trees to limit creation of new routes. Staff also highlighted the risk that unmitigated vegetation near utility right-of-ways can burn hot enough to sever hanging fiber-optic cables — a problem that occurred in this incident and contributed to cell and data outages.

Next steps: borough staff said contractors and volunteers are coordinating debris pickup and direct assistance; individuals with fire damage were asked to contact borough offices for help and information about available resources. The emergency manager encouraged residents to clear vegetation around structures (defensible space) and to check borough online resources for interactive CWPP (Community Wildfire Protection Plan) maps showing mitigation proposals and fire history.

Sources and provenance: damage counts, dumpster timing and the cellphone-alert description were reported to the assembly by Emergency Manager Forrest and by borough staff during the Aug. 13 public meeting.