6,500-acre Sockeye Fire destroys homes, threatens Willow

WILLOW — A forest fire destroyed as many as five homes and forced the evacuation virtually the entire Willow area Sunday afternoon, authorities said.

Fire fighters were battling a 6,500-acre forest file near mile 77 of the Parks. Officials posted that size estimate about 12:30 a.m. on the interagency Alaska Wildland Fire Info website.

The cause of the fire is unknown at this time. Representatives from local and state agencies were in a meeting about 4 p.m. to decide the next course of action for the fire, according to borough emergency manager Casey Cook.

Several animals had been evacuated as a result of the fire, officials said.

The fire started on the West side of the Parks and spread over the highway to the east side, Cook said.

“I would say zero percent contained or under control,” he said.

Officials were doing aerial drops to try and contain the fire, according to radio reports.

A community evacuation center had been established at the Willow Community Center for those displaced. A mass casualty trailer was ordered to respond there, according to radio traffic. Officials were considering evacuations north of the Little Willow Creek by about 4:15 p.m.

The fire was 100 feet from Capitol Speedway about 4 p.m., according to radio reports

Forestry officials had ordered four crews to respond to the fire, two retardant tankers and three water-scooping tankers, and three helicopters, according to state Division of Forestry spokesman Norm McDonald and the Alaska Fire Info website.

The Parks Highway was closed in the area near the fire.

This is a breaking news story. More information will be reported as it becomes available on frontiersman.com.

4:16 p.m. Sunday: The fire remained fast-moving and threatened to move south and east into the heart of the Willow community, according to radio traffic. Borough manager John Moosey was called in to the area. Notifications were sent out via cell phone to Mat-Su Valley Residents.

4:26 p.m. Sunday: The fire threatened to ignite several thousands pounds of explosives in a gravel pit near the fire, according to radio traffic.

4:34 p.m. Sunday: A rumor erroneously stated that evacuations were being suggested for the Wasilla area. Borough spokesman Patty Sullivan says voluntary evacuations are intended only for the Willow area.

4:49 p.m. Sunday: A National Weather Service red flag fire warning remained in effect until 10 p.m. Monday for the Mat-Su Valley, because of high wind and low humidity, according to radio traffic.

5:11 p.m. Sunday: Emergency responders were working with the Matanuska Electric Association to stop electricity to wire poles along the highway.

5:17 p.m. Sunday: The Sockeye Fire is now 1,000 acres, slightly less than four hours after it was originally reported, according to Division of Forestry spokesman Norm McDonald. The fire continued to burn out of control and officials were focused on structure protection in the May Loop Road area.

"It's got a northern wind on it, so it's moving south," he said.

5:52 p.m. Sunday: Traffic along the Parks Highway has backed up from the fire north of Willow into the town itself. Officials were looking into the possibility of opening the road at some point in the future, but it remains closed for the time being.

6:06 p.m. Sunday: Powerlines along the Parks have officially been turned off, according to radio traffic.

6:12 p.m. Sunday: Happy Trails Kennels in Big Lake was offering emergency shelter for dog teams displaced by the Sockeye fire, according to a Facebook post on the Kennels' homepage. The kennel is located in Big Lake. Several other private citizens were offering stabling for horses.

6:50 p.m. Sunday: The response to the Sockeye Fire has grown to include hot shot crews from out-of-state, as well as fire fighters from Anchorage, according to borough spokeswoman Patty Sullivan. At least one, and as many as five structures have been destroyed so far, and an unknown number of other structures are at risk.

Voluntary evacuations are urged for houses from the area of the fire South to Willow. The National Guard is is also assisting with Blackhawks Helicopters. The Parks Highway is closed between Sockeye Avenue and Willow Fishhook.

7:00 p.m. Sunday: Big Lake Country Club off of Hawk Lane in Houston near Plettner's Kennels was accepting horses and other livestock displaced as a result of the Willow fire. Residents in need of emergency stabling can call 355-1967 for more information. Heather Jewel, who is coordinating the livestock rescue efforts, said trailers have been dispatched to retrieve horses, and were on their way back.

"We sent 13 trailers out to Willow to pick up horses, and we do have horses," she said. "We have had some sheep and whatnot."

No sled dogs had yet been retrieved to that location.

7:07 p.m. Sunday: No human casualties have yet been reported in the Sockeye Fire, officials said.

Concerned animal owners have established a Facebook group as a clearing house for resources during the evacuation. That group is at: www.facebook.com/groups/639050389529096/

7:46 p.m. Sunday: Coverage of the Sockeye Fire will continue sporadically through the night. A full accounting will be available in the Tuesday edition of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman.

8:06 p.m. Sunday: Officials are requesting that several drivers who crossed a roadblock at mile 77 on the Parks Highway turn around immediately and head back to Talkeetna.

A temporary shelter has been established at the Upper Susitna Senior Center, 16463 Helena Drive, in Talkeetna, according to borough spokeswoman Patty Sullivan.

Drivers who may have crossed into the active fire zone are urged to drive up Willow Fishhook, through Hatcher Pass, and into Wasilla, rather than try to push south. Authorities were checking to see whether the pass was traversable.

8:10 p.m. Sunday: Six motorists in two cars became trapped about an hour away from the Parks Highway in an area of heavy smoke, according to radio reports. Emergency responders were trying to find a way to move them to safety, and evaluating Hatcher Pass as one option.

8:14 p.m. Sunday: Borough officials were issuing an air quality advisory for the Mat-Su Borough citing heavy smoke from the Sockeye Fire, according to the Borough Twitter feed.

8:17 p.m. Sunday: The First Baptist Church of Willow has also opened its doors to those dislocated by the fire, according to an Alaska State Troopers Facebook post.

8:21 p.m. Sunday: Voluntary evacuation notices for the Sockeye Fire have been updated to include Mile 77 of the Parks Highway from Sharen Drive to Deshka Landing, according to emergency manager Casey Cook.

8:25 p.m. Sunday: Evacuation of Willow to Nancy Lake Parkway, according to radio traffic.

8:29 p.m. Sunday: The voluntary evacuation area now encompasses most of the northern section of Willow, including a heavily populated area along the Willow Creek Parkway, according to troopers Sgt. Tony Wegrzyn, in charge of evacuation from the area.

8:33 p.m. Sunday: Firefighters are told to break open the Hatcher Pass gate in order to allow trapped motorists to escape an area of heavy smoke. Dispatchers are subsequently told that the Pass is impassible because of snow and mud, and they (the motorists) should return to North Star Bible Camp.

8:39 p.m. Sunday: Authorities are evacuating the Willow Senior Center. Non-critical patients there will be moved to the Willow Community Center, according to radio traffic.

8:44 p.m. Sunday: Janssen Mat-Su Funeral Home near the intersection of the Parks Highway and the Trunk Road has also volunteered to act as a temporary shelter.

8:46 p.m. Sunday: The Willow Creek Senior Center is completely evacuated.

The Sockeye Fire now covers about 1,800 acres, officials say.

8:56 p.m. Sunday: The Willow Community Center will now itself be evacuated. The evacuation shelter is now located at the Houston Middle School, according to radio traffic.

9:16 p.m. Sunday: The Sockeye Fire has crossed Willow Creek Parkway. Officials are still engaged in evacuation notices in the area, per radio traffic.

9:21 p.m. Sunday: The fire has now forced the evacuation of fire station 12-3, which contains a single rescue vehicle and an animal control trailer. This is a local rural fire station, not the central Willow fire station, which is designated as 12-1.

9:35 p.m. Sunday: The number of helicopters involved in fighting the Sockeye Fire has increased to seven, according to the Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team Facebook page.

9:39 p.m. Sunday: Officials are working to hold a press conference on the Sockeye Fire at Station 6-1 in Wasilla, according to borough spokeswoman Patty Sullivan.

Despite some reports to the contrary, Sullivan said officials don't yet know what started the fire.

Fireworks famously played a role in the Miller's Reach Fire, which destroyed dozens of houses.

"It certainly is an ominous sign, with all of Willow being evacuated," Sullivan said.

9:46 p.m. Sunday: School officials say Houston High School could be made available in the event that Houston Middle School is overwhelmed, according to a Mat-Su Borough School System press release.

9:48 p.m. Sunday: Firefighters successfully evacuate fire station 12-3, according to radio traffic.

9:55 p.m. Sunday: Hatcher Pass is open and traversable for heavy four-wheel-drive vehicles only, according to radio traffic. Any other evacuees in Hatcher Pass should head to North Star Bible Camp, where shelter and food for the evening is available.

10:05 p.m. Sunday: A press conference on the fire will be held Monday morning. Updates may continue sporadically through the night, though regular coverage of the fire will likely resume tomorrow morning.

10:30 p.m. Sunday: Division of Forestry boosts the estimated size of the fire to more than 4,000 acres. The total size of the fire is now 4,183 acres.

Day Two:

8:03 a.m. Monday: The fire's size is now 6,500 acres, according to an update posted about midnight.

Borough officials have scheduled a press conference on the fire progress for noon in the assembly chambers, according to borough spokeswoman Patty Sullivan

Pilot cars began shepherding people through the scene of the fire about 2 a.m., according to the Alaska Division of Forestry.

First responders anticipate the highway will close again about 10 a.m., according to radio traffic.

Social media: the clearinghouse Facebook group remains in operation at https://www.facebook.com/groups/639050389529096/?fref=ts.

Twitter and Facebook users are encouraged to follow or tag using the #SockeyeFire hashtag, according to the Division of Forestry Twitter account.

The emergency informational number established by the borough is 861-8500.

As of 8:12 a.m., Sockeye Fire Command had changed commanders.

8:31 a.m. Monday: The official voluntary evacuation area is: Mile 63 to Mile 77 of the Parks Highway, and from the Parks Highway east to the Susitna River.

Officials re-iterated last night that the Hatcher Pass remains closed to most through traffic. The North Star Bible Camp on Willow Fishhook Road has been accepting evacuees.

Officials with the fire's unified command say they will provide updates after 9 a.m.

8:56 a.m. Monday: MEA has shut off power to the evacuation area, per borough spokeswoman Patty Sullivan.

9:04 a.m. Monday: Officials with the Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team report via Facebook that 25 primary structures and between 10 and 20 secondary structures have been destroyed north of the Kashwitna Lake in the initial assessment.

Confirmation of losses will be reported once an investigation by borough officials has been completed.

9:11 a.m. Monday: More than 200 people had signed in at the evacuation centers. About 2,000 residences are within the evacuation area, according to the Alaska Division of Forestry.

9:27 a.m. Monday: More than 42 horses — plus numerous alpacas, goats, sheep, and other livestock — have been rescued from the evacuation area, according to Heather Jewel, who is coordinating live stock transportation and evacuation efforts.

"Right now, all the horses that I know are taken care of," she said.

9:55 a.m. Monday: The Sockeye Fire has not grown significantly overnight, as increasing humidity has stymied the fire's growth, said borough public information officer Pam Ness.

"The fire laid down pretty good last night, grew maybe a couple acres," she said. "No big jumps, but we are concerned about the weather, because it's very warm already and very dry."

Alaska State Troopers are currently stopping people at mile 66.5 of the Parks Highway and shepherding them through. Officials had discussed closing the Parks about 10 a.m.

Officials plan to keep the highway open as long as possible, according to Ness.

Residents are urged to avoid all outdoor fires, per the conditions of a National Weather Service Red Flag warning, Ness said.

"We'd like to have people be very careful outside," she said. "No sparking, no fires."

"We pretty much got everything on this," Ness added. "We're taxed."

10:21 a.m. Monday: Additional updates will be posted to the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman Facebook page.

By reader request, that Facebook page is www.facebook.com/frontiersman

Contact Brian O’Connor at 352-2269, brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com, or on Twitter @reporterbriano.