McKinley fire burns 51 homes

WASILLA — Nearing the one-week mark of the McKinley Fire, assessors with the Mat-Su Borough released information to homeowners on Friday morning about the condition of their homes.

More than 100 structures burned, 51 of which were primary homes, approximately 80 outbuildings and three businesses. As residents received the word on whether their structures made it through the wind-aided fire that blazed through a black spruce forest, firefighters were still working to put the fire out and relief personnel were at the Menard Center to offer guidance and grief counseling to those affected.

“I just think it’s incredible to see when people really get pushed in a situation like this. It never ceases to amaze me how people who will lay down whatever they’re doing and they just start working through the problems,” said MSB Public Information Officer Stefan Hinman.

Hinman is one of a handful of borough officials whose sleep habits have been greatly disrupted by the emergency. Borough Manager John Moosey declared an emergency due to the McKinley and other active fires in the Mat-Su on Tuesday. Gov. Mike Dunleavy will announce a disaster on Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Palmer airport. As residents were informed of the status of their homes, the path forward may not be as simple as returning to the blazed landscape and returning to a familiar way of life.

“Next week we’ll reassess reentry and then it’s going to be one of those reentries that might just be day pass for a while because of safety. It’s going to be the reentries where citizens are going to be worried for weeks and weeks because there’s going to be candling and torching and interior burning. So it’s going to be this yes, you’re a wildfire survivor, but now you’re living with wildfire on the landscape,” said Interagency Incident Management Team Information Manager Kale Casey. “Every single resident that we know, and I live in the neighborhood, has been in a mental set the whole time. So if the levels change to a two, in a lot of areas I don’t think it’ll be any surprise to anybody.”

Casey said that 317 firefighters from nearly a dozen agencies were on scene as of Friday morning, with another 63 arriving Friday night. Casey said that the additional resources would be placed where they believe the fire could grow the most. The Midnight Suns, Pioneer Peak and White Mountain fire crews were first on scene, joined by village crews from Yukon Flats and Koyokuk on Friday.

Saturday presents a tactical battle for Casey and the 380 firefighters battling the McKinley fire. Casey called the effort “remarkable” and noted that every fire department in the Valley responded immediately, followed by Chugiak, Anchorage, and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson crews.

“They’re somehow able to use all of their initial attack training, frequencies, coordination to not lose a firefighter while saving an enormous number of structures,” said Casey. “They did a remarkable job in some of the footage that I’ve seen, the crews maintained their poise while one building was burning they’d still go behind it and save the other structure.”

Casey compared the McKinley fire to the 2015 Sockeye fire, which destroyed 55 homes. Of those responding to fight the McKinley fire were locals who fought to protect their neighbor’s property, uncertain of the fate of their own home.

“There are people who responded who are going through the mourning of knowing that their structure might’ve been involved and yet are still keeping a clear head,” said Casey.

Casey noted earlier in the week that the buildup index (BUI) was at its highest ever recorded number. Winds gusting at 30 miles per hour through last weekend aided the fire, and Casey said that 15 MPH winds gusting this weekend could prove to be a test for crews remaining on the fire.

“It definitely is scary the amount of fire activity and a wind event in Alaska in a black spruce interface is absolutely hellacious. The black spruce loves to burn with up to 100 foot flame lengths like it did in the Sockeye. It’s the kind of fuel that catches and spreads extremely rapidly and spots everywhere throwing enormous ember showers... The Matanuska Valley and the Kenai Peninsula are clearly in a very tough position right now, record drought, record dry high indices, we have a hard time mopping this up because it’s extremely resistant to control,” said Casey.

The Red Cross were among the first to respond, setting up disaster center at the Willow Community Center as multiple fires broke out last Saturday. The Red Cross moved their location to the Menard Center in Wasilla on Sunday and Regional Communications Officer Cari Dighton said that the Red Cross will remain on scene as long as they are needed.

“Apart from our separate roles a lot of people we have the same type of heart and that just brings people back to try and want to help,” said Dighton.

Dighton said that 90 percent of Red Cross personnel are volunteers, and the Red Cross will be holding shelter trainings for a disaster this weekend, hoping to train new volunteers to aid in the next upcoming disaster.