Burn barrels go cold

May 22, 2007

By Russell Stigall

Frontiersman

MAT-SU - Mat-Su burn barrels overflow as burn permit suspension extends into a second day.

Open burning is not allowed in the Valley, whether or not contained in a burn barrel.

&#8220A burn suspension will be in place at least through [Tuesday].” said Chris Olson, logistics coordinator for the Alaska Division of Forestry

The Division of Forestry has the manpower to enforce burn suspensions, Olson said.

&#8220Our fire prevention shop and our initial attack forces do some form of enforcement. Fire prevention guys are the ones that do that normally,” Olson said.

If the suspension is ignored, Olson said, at the very least a violation warning will be issued. If the burning violations are severe enough, the Division of Forestry can issue citations to summon violators to court and appear before a judge on a misdemeanor.

&#8220You're basically getting a ticket,” Olson said.

Tickets come with fines and possible restitution costs.

&#8220It can be a sizable amount depending on the size of the fire,” Olson said.

To prevent wildfires when a burn suspension is not in effect, Valley residents should abide by the rules written on their burn permits, Olson said.

&#8220We could eliminate 99 percent of fires if people would follow the rules,” Olson said.

The Division of Forestry has forecast three fire threat indicators as extreme.

The shrubs and grasses that make up the Valley's fine fuel are extremely dry now due to the low relative humidity. Monday had 14 percent to 24 percent relative humidity, which is a measure of the amount of moisture in the air, said Johnny Murdock, of Mat-Su Emergency Services. The lower the percentage, the less the moisture, which is what dries out fine fuels, like grass and small shrubs.

&#8220Anything that is a tenth of an inch or smaller,” Murdock said.

High wind speeds, 10 to 20 miles per hour on Monday and 20 to 30 mph on Tuesday, pushed the initial spread index to extreme.

&#8220Basically, everything right now is very dry. A fire would burn rapidly and spread rapidly,” Murdock said.

Alaska Division of Forestry uses the Canadian Fire Weather Indices to predict fire threats.

&#8220I've learned over the last 15 years to trust it,” Murdock said.

Murdock said there is a high probability that the suspension will extend through Tuesday and maybe Wednesday.

Burn suspensions are fairly common, Murdock said. And more will come until the Valley gets significant rain.

The suspension allows for some fires, though only for survival purposes.

&#8220The only thing that I know that would be allowed is a campfire to keep warm,” Murdock said.

Murdock said if a campfire is necessary that it should have a nice fire pit that is well-protected and not left unattended.

Contact Russell Stigall at 352-2267 or russell.stigall@frontiersman.com