State of Alaska, Division of Forestry - Southwest Area McGrath Office
To report a wildfire call (907) 524-3366.
The Southwest Area Office in McGrath, 195 miles west of Anchorage, is accessible by air only. Numerous Alaska villages, mostly situated along rivers, are spread throughout the 66.6 million acre protection. The terrain varies from mountainous uplands to lowland flats. The Alaska Range serves as the protection area's eastern boundary, the Bering Sea the western. The Southwest Area extends southward to the coast and northward to the Galena protection boundary.
Lightning accounts for about 80% of the Southwest Area ignitions. During peak activity periods, the office situation unit may track and monitor anywhere from a few to as many as 50 fires daily. In a remote, roadless area of this size, daily aerial reconnaissance is essential. Whether it's smokejumper or helitack activities, air tankers, or detection and mapping aircraft, McGrath is the hub of air operations of the Southwest Area.
State of Alaska, Division of Forestry - Southwest Area McGrath Office
524-3366 Fireline (wildfire reporting)
524-3010 Main Office
524-3367 Dispatch