A wildfire around Mile 91 of the Parks Highway between Willow and Trapper Creek had burned about 35 acres, and crews from the state Division of Forestry, the Willow Fire Department, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and other agencies were working to get it under control Saturday night.
The blaze, about a half-mile from the road, had not damaged any structures, and none were immediately threatened as of Saturday night, said Division of Forestry Mat-Su fire management officer Norm McDonald. Air crews on Kodiak Island, where a wildfire ravaged the village of Chiniak Friday, were being called up to the Susitna Valley to contain the Parks Highway fire.
Efforts to contain the fire were initially hampered by the fact that 600 to 700 Alaska firefighters are in the Lower 48 fighting wildfires there, said Division of Forestry spokesman Tim Mowry.
"We're trying to help them out because they helped us out," Mowry said Saturday afternoon. "And we usually don't have wildfires this time of year."
As night fell, fire officials became more confident that they would be able to contain the blaze, McDonald said, adding that they hoped to knock down much of the fire overnight as temperatures dropped.