The stories are so sad. Homes lost. Photos of passed loved ones gone forever. Individuals forced to build a life again from the ground up. While the numbers -- hundreds of homes lost -- are shocking, it is the individual stories that are the saddest, the ones that truly bring home the reality of what is happening in several regions of our state right now. Fires -- huge fires -- are burning through Alaska's forests as hot, dry conditions make every spark a potential fire starter. The two biggest fires burning in Alaska right now were human-caused, though Mother Nature is now throwing her hand into the mix with a smattering of lightning-strike fires.
Whenever you hear about the people who started huge wildfires, ones that burned down homes and cost millions to put out, you hear the same thing. They never imagined it would get out of control. It was just a little brush pile. Or they were just going for a drive through some tall grass. Or they never thought that spark from sharpening a tool was all it would take. In a way, they are right. In Alaska, much of the time it is wet enough that starting a campfire requires the smallest kindling and the driest of newspaper. More than a few of us have put our cheek to the ground, blowing on embers to get them going. So switching gears to the kind of conditions where a single cigarette butt can start a wildfire that will race for hundreds of miles is hard. But that's the reality.
Those who see fires getting away from them usually try to put them out but to no avail. Especially in dry grasses, flame lengths often quickly reach heights that make getting anywhere near them with anything but a hose impossible. And even the lightest wind will carry flames to amazing heights under these conditions.
As Alaskans, this sort of weather -- hot, dry and sunny -- is like some sort of drug that makes us attack all the projects around our residences with abandon. We dig, we build, we plant, we move dirt and gravel and rush to get it all done before the weather turns again and we're all wearing gloves and stomping our feet in August. It's that rush that's the problem. We don't stop and consider the danger of the things we are doing. We don't bring a bucket of water to the edge of that campfire, just in case, or move our sharpening projects inside, because you never know. Most of all, we don't wait for a day when conditions are less dangerous. It's summer. It's go time.
But this year, conditions are so very much worse than in past years. Right now, with so much of the state in a high fire danger situation, there really isn't a safe place out there for a spark to drop. And that's bad news, because firefighting resources are already stretched too thin by the fires currently ripping through communities. What the firefighters, and the state, need now is a good rain. But that's not forecast for several days, and even then, it might not be enough to turn things around. Predictions are that this will be a hotter than usual summer in Alaska, and so far, they certainly are right.
So the burden is on us to keep Alaska safe this week. Everyone out there working on their projects needs to be highly aware of the potential sparks from equipment. Campers need to carefully consider their every move with fire. Cook stoves are probably a better choice for roasting marshmallows this weekend. After all, it's not like you need a warming fire right now. Those traveling on ATVs need to be aware that more than a few fires have been started by people driving through tall, dead grasses. And for every safety-conscious person out there, there is another person who believes it could never happen to them. It's our job -- each and every one of us -- to keep our eyes open for people doing ill-advised things with fire this week and make sure they stop immediately, even if that means alerting the authorities. It might save a home, or even a life.
Carey Restino is the editor of Bristol Bay Times-Dutch Harbor Fisherman and The Arctic Sounder, where this commentary first appeared.
The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary(at)alaskadispatch.com.