Leaf Lake fire nearly contained

UPDATE (11 a.m. Tuesday, April 19):

WASILLA — Alaska Division of Forestry officials Tuesday morning reported that the 25-acre Leaf Lake fire burning east of the Butte is 80 percent contained and fire managers are projecting 100 percent containment by the end of the day if light winds prevail.

The fire was first reported by a bear hunter Saturday evening in the remote area near the Knik River. The blaze was considered human caused, according to the state.

According to the Tuesday update from forestry officials, the 13 firefighters working on the blaze have mopped up 20 to 30 feet into the fire’s outer edge and are now concentrating on the lower end of the lake.

Original story:

WASILLA — Fire crews continued to battle one of the season’s larger wildland blazes Monday, a roughly 25-acre fire near a small, remote lake east of the Butte.

The Leaf Lake fire was first reported Saturday evening by a bear hunter in the area, according to state Division of Forestry fire management officer Norm McDonald, who added that the fire was human caused and is under investigation.

Crews began an active suppression effort Sunday morning at the lake, which is north of the Knik River and southeast of Jim Lake in a marshy, rugged area bordering the east side of the Chugach Range.

Three forestry firefighters were able to reach an occupied cabin about a mile east the fire Sunday using all-terrain vehicles.

“The cabin is in the Friday Creek area,” McDonald said. “The crews were able to survey the area around the cabin to get an idea of how to defend it if needed. The owner has a water source there.”

According to the state, two helicopters continued to drop water and shuttle crews and supplies to the fire Monday. Some seven Bureau of Land Management smokejumpers and 10 state forestry firefighters are staffing the blaze, McDonald said.

The fire grew from 10 acres over the weekend. That upward revision in acreage involved was due in part to fire crews getting a chance to walk the perimeter Sunday night, according to the state.

“It has some tough terrain — steep and hazardous,” McDonald said, adding that cool nights, light winds and high evening humidity have helped slow the fire’s growth.

“The winds have been light, but we are expecting some gusts into the 30s Monday which we will be keeping an eye on,” McDonald said.

The state is asking local pilots to stay out of the area to prevent any conflicts with firefighting air operations.

Forestry officials have been warning of dangerous fire conditions since February. An extremely snow-poor winter and an early spring thaw have left the Valley parched and covered in dry grasses and other woody debris. To help mitigate the danger, the Mat-Su Borough has imposed a summer-long requirement that burn barrels have a permit.

The dangerous conditions are a mirror of last year, which featured low levels of snowfall in the winter and a warm, dry spring. Those conditions helped contribute to one of the busiest Alaska fire seasons on record, including several large fires in the Mat-Su. The most destructive wildfire in the area was the Sockeye Fire in the Willow area, which destroyed dozens of homes and buildings while burning around 7,000 acres of forest.

Burn permits are required from April 1 through Aug. 31.

Firefighters have already responded to numerous human-caused grass fires in the Valley this spring. Firefighters say that anyone doing open burning must have a permit, a firebreak between the fire and wildlands, adequate tools and plenty of water to keep the fire contained.

To obtain a burn permit, visit dnr.alaska.gov/burn. The Division of Forestry also maintains a daily burning hotline at (907) 761-6312.

Contact reporter Steven Merritt at 352-2269 or steven.merritt@frontiersman.com