WASILLA — Here’s hoping people with debris to burn got it out of the way over the weekend.

According to a Division of Forestry press release Monday, the ban on open burning and burn barrels lifted Friday is back in place. The eased burning restrictions lasted all of a weekend.

Mat-Su Borough Director of Emergency Services Dennis Brodigan said the rain the Valley saw on Friday was useful. “I think it did help, but again this is the typical pattern for this time of year. The ground soaks up the water relatively quickly here,” he said.

According to fire reports posted to the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center’s Web page, the weekend was relatively slow in the borough. Most Valley activity consisted of re-checking fires that burned last week.

“A person would assume that with recent rainfall that things would be sufficiently moist,” Brodigan said, but, “it doesn’t take long around here for that to change.”

And, come Sunday it had, said Glen Holt with Forestry. Both Sunday and Monday the division warned that the National Weather Service had put out a red flag warning, which generally means the combination of heat, humidity and wind made for a situation where, if a fire starts, it’s likely not going to be easy to fight.

“The ability to control a wildfire is hampered during a condition of red flag warning,” Holt said. “Our best bet then is to limit the number of starts.”

Which means tamping down on burning.

Even with burn permits suspended, Monday afternoon the emergency band scanner crackled with news of two escaped burns in the Valley. But Holt said shortly after 3 p.m. that the fires were in hand. Initial attack crews got there fast and doused the flames.

“Initial attack in a situation like this is of utmost importance,” Holt said.

Forestry has had its hands full fighting a fire on the Kenai Peninsula near Homer. That fire has grown to 1,074 acres, according to the fire reports, but was contained at around 4 p.m., with crews expecting to have the fire under control by today.

A couple of firefighting crews based in the Valley were down there fighting it as of Monday morning — the Pioneer Peak crew and the Gannet Glacier crew. Holt said there were other Palmer-based employees and apparatus down there as well.

Still, he said, “We’re at full strength here in Palmer and we have been.”

The borough has sent a team down as well.    

Brodigan said 11 firefighters and three fire engines — a wildland engine from Willow, and engines from the West Lakes and Central Mat-Su fire departments.

This time of year, Brodigan said, sending firefighters to other areas of the state is par for the course.

“We’ve deployed these groups every single summer so far,” he said.

Sometimes the incidents they respond to are minor. Sometimes they’re not.

This go-round, Brodigan said, his firefighters expect to be back home today. And, when they get back, they’ll likely have work to do.

“There’s no precipitation in the near future so every day this will get a little more dangerous,” Brodigan said.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.