Higher temperatures paired with dry conditions and gusty winds prompted a new fire danger alert Tuesday for parts of Anchorage.
The National Weather Service issued a “red flag warning” for West Anchorage and the Hillside from 2 to 10 p.m. Tuesday. Temperatures were expected to reach into the low 70s, with southeast wind gusts as high as 25 mph and relative humidity around 15%.
The conditions mean that “rapid ignition, growth, and spread of fires will be possible,” the warning said.
Tuesday’s warning comes amid weeks of dangerous conditions. Anchorage implemented a burn ban last week and the Assembly passed an emergency ordinance that makes violating the ban a misdemeanor crime. The ban prohibits campfires, burn pits and open fires.
Burn permit suspensions are also in place throughout the Mat-Su, Kodiak, Kenai Peninsula, Tok and Fairbanks.
Southcentral Alaska will continue to see high temperatures and dry conditions throughout the week, according to weather service meteorologist Brandon Lawson. Winds could pick up again in coming days, which would likely lead to another red flag warning, he said.
Statewide, 147 wildfires have burned more than 13,000 acres this season, according to the Alaska Division of Forestry. At least 109 of those fires were started by people.
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