A forest ranger attacked by a bear while battling a wildfire near the Sterling Highway earlier this week is doing well, the U.S. Forest Service said Friday in a release, which credited its bear training and and emergency response for averting a worse outcome.
On Monday, Chugach National Forest Glacier District Ranger Tim Charnon was attacked and bitten by a sub-adult brown bear while scouting the Juneau Lake fire burning near Cooper Landing.
"When he first observed the bear, it was charging and there was not enough time to deploy his bear spray," the Forest Service wrote in a release.
Charnon startled the bear, which swiped at his helmet, knocking it off. Charnon grabbed the helmet, covered his head and dropped to the ground.
The bear bit Charnon, wounding him, but then ran off, the Forest Service said. Officials did not elaborate on the specifics of the injuries, and a spokesperson did not know where he was bitten.
Charnon walked about a mile through difficult terrain after the attack, with the help of other crew members who responded to his radio calls, and was met by a Life Med flight, which flew him to Anchorage for treatment.
Earlier in the week, the Forest Service said that Charnon's injuries were not serious.