Local fire safety begins with end of ‘regular nonsense’

You know it’s spring in the Mat-Su Valley when the hills are alive with the sound of ATVs and the smoke from controlled burns.

Coming off an unusually mild winter and a warm beginning of spring that already has dry grass showing, wildfire season has made an early debut. In the past week, local and state firefighting crews have responded to a pair of wildfires in the Butte area and a not-so-controlled burn threatened a neighbor’s home.

One state Division of Forestry official attributes the cause of an 80-acre fire near Jim Creek to “just the regular nonsense, somebody started a fire and walked away from it or tossed a hot ember from a cigarette or something.” Any preventable wildfire is more than simply nonsense, it’s reckless and could potentially have devastating and tragic consequences.

Another 5-acre fire on the Butte and another near Smith and Maud Roads were preventable, starting out as controlled burns. In the case of the latter, the property owner wasn’t watching the burn and had to be alerted by his son, who called on the telephone from Oregon.

“Hey dad, you better look out the window,” the son said.

Seems that burn was fanned by winds that pushed the flames into grass toward his neighbor’s home.

Controlled burning is an important, and responsible, way to manage property. For the most part, Valley property owners take the proper precautions when planning to burn weeds, ditches or debris. They have plenty of water on hand, they make sure the surrounding area is clear and they pay attention.

Most importantly, they check with the Central Mat-Su Fire Department to make sure burning is allowed on a particular day and get a burn permit, which is required.

Be safe. If you want to burn, check with your local fire department first. Know the rules, regulations and what you need to be safe.

We understand today’s editorial is a step up on our soap box, but it only takes a gust of wind to turn an ordinary response call for our local firefighters and volunteer responders into a tragedy.

That would be much more than the “regular nonsense.”