Bear Dogs provide safety on the Twelvemile Lake Fire at Healy Lake.
With known bear activity in the area, the team has implemented additional safety measures to protect crews working and camping in remote spike camps. Karelian Bear Dogs, provided by the Wind River Bear Institute, are now on site at Healy Lake and will begin overnight patrols around camps.
These specially trained working dogs can detect bears at significant distances and are used to deter them through controlled barking and hazing techniques, helping steer them away without harm.
The dogs operate under the guidance of experienced handlers and have been used successfully on previous wildland fire incidents—including the Isom Creek Fire in Alaska — to minimize bear encounters and increase safety for firefighters.
This is the first deployment of bear dogs on this incident and reflects a proactive approach to safeguarding camps, supply caches, and personnel in areas with confirmed bear presence.
Operations at Sand Lake and Healy Lake continue with routine equipment checks and maintenance.
Crews remain positioned to respond rapidly should fire activity increase, especially near values at risk. Fire behavior is expected to increase under red flag conditions, and rapid fire growth is possible if ignition occurs. Crews are preparing accordingly. The Twelvemile Lake Fire remains at 18,028 acres, and the Sand Lake Fire is holding at 4,821 acres.
Courtesy of Alaska Wildland Fire Information issued on July 4th, 2025.