Firefighters fully contain 56-acre wildfire north of Wasilla, officials say

Update, 10 a.m. Monday: Crews fully contained a 56-acre wildfire north of Wasilla by about 8 p.m. Sunday, said Tim Mowry, a spokesman for the Division of Forestry.

About 14 crew members were on scene Monday to clean up the area and make sure that there are no remaining hot spots that could reignite the fire, Mowry said.

Original story:

Crews continued fighting a 56-acre wildfire north of Wasilla on Sunday. The fire, believed to be human-caused, prompted two homes to evacuate Saturday.

On Sunday morning, a spokesman for the Division of Forestry said crews expected the blaze to be contained by that evening.

The fire was first reported Saturday afternoon about 6 miles north of Wasilla off Moose Meadows Road. It was estimated to be spread across roughly 5 acres by the time first responders reached the scene, but the fire quickly grew to an estimated 42 acres by that evening, the forestry division reported.

Spokesman Tim Mowry said the department estimated the fire to be about 56 acres Sunday morning, but the change was mostly due to better mapping capabilities, not growth overnight. It was 40% contained by Sunday morning.

Two nearby homes were evacuated Saturday as a precaution, but Mowry said the fire had moved away from the structures and they were no longer threatened. Moose Meadow Road is a popular trail that leads to Mount Baldy. The heavily wooded area is near the base of the Talkeetna Mountains.

While the exact cause off the fire is under investigation, Mowry said it’s believed to be human-caused because there was no lightning.

Mowry said the crews worked until about 11 p.m. Saturday and began again early Sunday. There were 45 personnel on scene Sunday morning. They had a hose placed around the fire’s perimeter and water tenders were on scene from local fire departments, Mowry said.

Two air tankers dropped retardant on the area 11 times Saturday and two helicopters were dropping water on the area throughout the day, the forestry division reported.

Burn permits were suspended statewide at the beginning of the month due to an increased fire risk and concerns that there may be a reduced number of available firefighters due to travel restrictions and quarantine requirements amid the COVID-19 pandemic. There has been limited precipitation this spring, leading to dry conditions throughout much of the state which increases the risk of wildfires. Mowry said there have still been a number of human-caused fires, despite the suspension.

Anchorage banned all fires last week in an attempt to reduce human-caused fires.

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