Fire near Butte burns 80 acres

BUTTE — A fire in the Butte area sprang to life overnight, growing to more than 80 acres and prompting a response from the state’s Division of Forestry.

“It was pretty spectacular last night,” said Dennis Brodigan, director of Emergency Services for the Mat-Su Borough.

“It was going through grass and alder and it would hit a stand of spruce trees and then torch them,” Brodigan said.

But, he said, the fire probably looked worse than it was.

“It’s not very active at all due to high humidity. The winds are high, but it’s in a very swampy area,” Brodigan said.

The fire is burning outside the Borough’s fire coverage area; however, the Borough is helping shuttle firefighters to the scene, Brodigan said.

He pegged the fire’s location as between Jim and Friday creeks along the Knik River. A Borough press statement said the area is 3 miles outside Butte.

Brodigan said 15 Forestry firefighters are heading into the area, shuttled by Butte Fire Department all-terrain vehicles.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.