Moose Creek fire in Mat-Su completely contained, officials say

Fire officials say the Moose Creek fire north of Palmer was fully contained as of Friday evening.

Alaska Division of Forestry firefighters toured the fire's perimeter Friday and declared the 303-acre blaze 100 percent contained, according to incident commander Phil Blydenburgh.

The Division of Forestry plans to monitor the fire for hot spots along the perimeter. However, flareups are unlikely because two inches of snow fell on the fire Friday morning, Blydenburgh said.

By the time firefighters mounted a unified response to suppress the Moose Creek fire on Oct. 15, it already had grown to 100 acres. The fire is believed to have started due to an escaped debris burn.

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High winds during the first three days of the blaze had firefighters scrambling to keep up, according to the Division of Forestry.

Initial estimates of the fire area were reduced every day starting in midweek as more accurate readings came in and the containment of the fire increased. At 10:25 a.m. Friday, fire officials said the blaze was 83 percent contained.

The fire burned to within about 75 feet of the Glenn Highway at one point. Firefighters prevented it from crossing the road, and no structures were damaged by its spread, officials said.