Fairbanks, AK - The Stuart Creek 2 Fire is now 22 percent contained. But 770 firefighters and personnel aren’t ready to let down their guard yet. Spokesman Richard Hadley says an Evacuation Watch for the communities of Two Rivers and Pleasant Valley is still in place. “We’re not quite out of the woods," he says, "but we’re getting closer and we’re just erring on the side of caution before we remove any advisory.”\
Hadley says officials aren’t yet ready to change their fire management strategy to battle the more than 84 thousand acre blaze. “As we start wrapping up some of the work, then we’ll start releasing fire fighters, but we’re kind of in a holding pattern as we see what the weather does the next several days,” he says.
Hadley says crews are continuing to build a fire line and mop up where they can before warmer drier conditions move in. According to the National Weather Service, temperatures in the central Interior could climb into the lower 80’s by Saturday.