Wildfire in Mat-Su expected to be fully contained Friday
Firefighters expect to have the 130-acre Trumpeter Fire fully contained by the end of shift Friday.
Firefighters expect to have the 130-acre Trumpeter Fire fully contained by the end of shift Friday.
The Trumpeter Fire is the Forestry Division’s first significant response of the season in Southcentral Alaska, officials said.
Fire managers say that because of its isolation and size, it will likely continue to burn until the season changes.
The only exceptions for cooking are charcoal and gas grills, as well as backpacking or camp stoves that use gas or compressed-fuel canisters.
The Malaspina wildfire started Sunday at the address of a 400-square foot cabin, less than a mile from the ongoing Montana Creek wildfire.
The fire started near the already-burning Montana Creek wildfire. It was estimated at 60 acres as of 6:35 p.m. Sunday and had destroyed at least one structure.
Air quality was rated “unhealthy” in Anchorage and “very unhealthy” in Cooper Landing on Sunday morning.
Alaska fire managers argue there is no hard and fast “let it burn” policy, and there’s more happening on the fire lines than what the smoke plumes imply.
Meanwhile, the Montana Creek Fire near Talkeetna that sparked fears of evacuations this week was little changed Friday.
Officials urged residents near the 250-acre wildfire burning south of the Talkeetna junction to be ready to evacuate if necessary.
The cause of the fire and the exact location where it started aren’t yet known, Bishop said.
It spread quickly and forced evacuations and an aggressive response from firefighters.
As the fire continued to smolder early Wednesday, an official said the cause wasn’t immediately known.
The Anchorage Fire Department on Tuesday morning canceled all official Fourth of July fireworks shows in the municipality due to “extreme dry weather conditions.”
The fire was expected to kick back to life as sunshine and wind returned Monday, officials said.
“Think of what we’ve been experiencing and tack on 2-4 degrees.”
Visibility in the municipality may be reduced to less than a quarter of a mile on Sunday, the National Weather Service cautioned.
Forecasters say a high pressure system is likely to move in over the Kenai Peninsula this week, bringing higher temperatures to the area where the 40,000 acre Swan Lake fire continues to burn.
Anchorage and Mat-Su halted open burning, and a Fairbanks-area fire prompted an evacuation readiness alert.
The latest update put the Swan Lake fire’s size at 23,530 acres.