Heed the burn ban, for your neighbor's sake

Frontiersman Editorial Board

There's no denying that fire season, albeit a few weeks early, is here. Although state statutes give a starting time of May 1 for the official fire season, Mother Nature couldn't give a fig about Alaska's laws.

The dusting of snow the Valley received yesterday may ease a few minds, but in reality, it's not going to do a lot to stave off fire danger.

That's why the Valley is now in the midst of a burn ban, and it's one that simply must be heeded.

As people who lost grassland or worse, their homes, will tell you, it's not easy to tell what fire is going to do. Fire crews responded last week to a fire that had been dead for days, but recent winds revived tiny smoldering embers and the fire was resuscitated.

In a story that appears in our pages today, a homeowner lost his home and outbuildings after dumping seemingly spent ashes from his woodstove. In short, even when people knew without a doubt they were in the clear, the simple fact is that they weren't.

Thankfully, crews responding were able to put out numerous fires that started this way before they spread beyond control. And while we empathize with those who lost their homes and land as a result of fires over the past few weeks, we hope the damage will stop here. A civil suit regarding a massive fire -- Miller's Reach -- that consumed hundreds of homes and acres in the Big Lake area is currently proceeding at the Palmer courthouse. It's a fire that consumed the homes and memories of many Big Lake residents, and they will likely be the first to tell you it's not an event they want to repeat.

If you're thinking about burning garbage, don't. Store it or take it to the local landfill.

If you see someone else burning, ask them to stop.

The borough's public information center asks people to immediately report all fires by dialing 911. If you happen to see fire trucks responding to a fire, give them a wide berth.

In the case of a fire, every second the fire is allowed to progress unchecked means more damage done. And if you see a fire responder on the street or in the grocery store, a thank-you is a good idea -- after all, you never know when it could be your property or your neighbor's they're responding to.