Sockeye cost tops $1.3M

HOUSTON — Officials were examining the possibility of letting residents back into some areas, even while portions of the Sockeye fire continued to burn Thursday and officials said it was not formally contained.

The fire has so far destroyed 26 homes, and 132 properties are in the burned area of the fire, according to a preliminary assessment compiled by borough officials. Residents in the burned areas began to find out Thursday afternoon, in individual assessment meetings, whether their property was damaged in the fire. The newer, more accurate number is based on a door-to-door assessment. An earlier aerial assessment had put the total number of destroyed structures — including sheds and outbuildings as well as houses — at between 50 and 100.

Portions of the evacuation zone south of the fire’s path — specifically the Nancy Lakes subdivision — could soon see evacuation orders lifted as officials began to gain a better understanding of how the fire is likely to spread, after maintaining a static size for several days, according to Division of Forestry Incident Commander Tom Kurth.

The estimated size of the fire decreased from 7,555 acres to 7,066 acres, though officials say that reduction is due to more accurate mapping rather than firefighters good work. The fire — which expanded rapidly in its early hours and forced the evacuations of as many as 200 people, affecting as many as 1,700 properties — is generally “cooperative,” Kurth said.

“At this point, it’s still within the lines that were established, or that we came into, so we’re getting a foothold,” he said.

“All these structures internal to the fire have to be protected from any creeping fire. That’s been the focus the last couple days, to make sure nothing else goes down while we established a line around it.”

Wind has caused the fire to jump 100 to 200 feet at a time. A portion of the fire south of Willow Creek, for example, isn’t actually connected to the main body of the fire, but constitutes a large spot fire, Kurth said. While the acreage has reduced, the difficulty of containing the fire has increased because of its non-contiguous shape.

“It actually makes for more perimeter,” he said.

More than 500 firefighters were working to battle the fire, a number expected to climb to 600 by today, Kurth said.

So far, one firefighter had been treated for dehydration, and two others had been transported from the scene with non-life-threatening injuries, he said. Kurth said such injures represent a loss of work more than lasting harm to the firefighter.

While firefighters toiled against the encroaching flames, human residents of the shelter struggled to keep their dogs and cats out of the sun as temperatures soared into the 80s. The scene on a narrow strip of grass bordering some trees across from Houston Middle School, where a temporary shelter had been erected, appeared almost idyllic in contrast to the frantic scramble out of the fire’s path residents described.

Adine Minturn, a cook at the Willow Trading Post, remembered the sirens and the fire’s small size.

“I was at work, and I watched it start,” she said. “It was very small and the firemen were called right away.”

The Sockeye started small, but didn’t stay that way, Minturn said.

“By the time I got off at three, it was still very small,” she said. “By the time I drove home 4 miles away, it had like tripled in size.”

When the fire took off, there was little time left to get out of its way, she said.

“I grabbed all the dogs, grabbed the kids, grabbed the cats, kissed the spiders, and here we are,” Minturn said.

While conditions at the shelter were challenging, things could be worse, she said.

“I have a house right now,” she said.

Jeremiah Kurka was able to get back in to check on his residence, and his house remained intact, though he was concerned about the food in his freezer. MEA had cut power to some neighborhoods, but restored it later, meaning his food appeared frozen, but was likely unsafe to eat.

Kurka, a patient care assistant, followed several health care clients unable to tolerate the fire’s immense smoke clouds to the shelter. He said he was able to get home briefly on multiple days, and said he thought fire conditions had improved.

“It’s a lot better than it was,” he said.

Rumors were rampant inside the shelter, particularly after several media outlets reported fireworks as a potential cause. Officials have said they were investigating a cause, and had not yet officially blamed fireworks.

Robert Hall, a stand owner with Gorilla Fireworks, ordered his stand closed until New Year’s Sunday after a discussion with local fire officials. Another stand in North Pole was also closed for at least two weeks, and Hall said he had encouraged fire officials there to put safety ahead of his businesses.

City officials had told him they would revisit fireworks regulations this winter, Hall said.

“I imagine there will be some changes,” he said.

The Fourth of July summer season is a crucial part of his business, Hall said. However, fireworks are simply one of several weather-sensitive businesses.

“It’s terrible from a business point of view,” he said. “It’s just what it is. Whether you commercial fish or run a ski resort or sell fireworks, there’s a lot of businesses that are weather sensitive. It will shift a lot of our sales to winter.”

Fireworks displays in Wasilla for the Fourth of July had also been cancelled, equal parts response to a Wednesday ban issued by the State Fire Marshal, and prudence, said Mayor Bert Cottle.

“Half the state’s on fire,” he said. “I don’t want to be out there lighting off fireworks. That doesn’t make any sense.”

Fire officials told him barring a sudden twist in weather conditions, the current stalemate could last as long as ten days.

“Add 10 days to this and you’re within a couple of days of July Fourth,” Cottle said. “Even if it rained a week straight, I don’t know if we’d have enough water then to do it.”

Officials with the Red Cross were working to establish a distribution center for victims of the fire, even as many residents remained uncertain of what they would actually need, said spokeswoman Beth Bennett. They anticipated having a comprehensive list of available donation sites and distribution centers available Friday morning. The organization will issue vouchers to all those affected, and the distribution would work to help everyone, Bennett said.

Laura Rhowmine, who made the rounds offering business cards for Mat-Su Health Services, worried that resources might not be made available in a timely fashion. She recited a list of odds and ends people had asked for, including a belt and two RV batteries.

“People have been here less than a week,” she said. “Right now, they don’t know what they need. A month from now, when they’ve figured out what they need, what will happen to the stuff that people have donated?”

Contact Brian O’Connor at 352-2269, brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com, or on Twitter @reporterbriano.