Tustumena Lake acted as a natural barrier keeping the fire from spreading south.

[7] The fire had consumed 156,041 acres or 243 square miles as of 4:00 PM Alaska Time of May 25.

There were several evacuation orders in effect including areas of Kasilof, Sterling, and Lower Skilak Lake.

[citation needed] While firefighters were fighting the fire, human remains were found that were later identified as James Beaver of Soldotna, Alaska, who had been missing since 2011.

[9] This led to an investigation that eventually revealed errors by the Alaska State Troopers in incorrectly identifying human remains of another missing person and releasing them to the wrong family.