Sunshine good, fire danger bad

All you sun worshipers out there should be reveling in the latest weather streak.

But ask any wildlands firefighter and they’ll tell you these last several days has the hair up on the back of their neck.

As of Thursday morning, at least six relatively small fires have caused fire crews to respond in recent days. And guess what? Lightning didn’t cause any of them. Nor did downed powerlines, as was the case in the fire that’s still burning and threatening homes in the Homer area.

Nope, these fires were caused by people not tending to their business.

That no great property damage has resulted is because fire crews responded quickly and were able to contain them.

Granted none of these fires were more than three acres, and some were less. All it takes, though, is a breeze and a hard-to-reach blaze and the results could be much more dire. The 1996 Miller’s Reach fire comes to mind. More than 400 homes and buildings were lost. Hundreds of people and animals had to be evacuated.

Without some significant rainfall, conditions around the Valley will continue to resemble kindling.

As a result, burn permits aren’t being issued by the Division of Forestry. And officials there are encouraging people to not even have campfires. One ember caught in the swirl of smoke can be lifted to another place where dry grass waits.

Besides praying for rain, or doing a dance, there are some things residents can do to reduce the chance their home will be lost to fire.

• Move anything that burns 30 feet away from your house. That includes the obvious like fuel, firewood, vehicles, lawn furniture.

• Cut off tree limbs as high as you can reach.

• Make sure access to your home is clear so emergency personnel can get there. A cluttered driveway slows or stops help.

• Make sure roads and streets have signs and your house has a number.

• Clear dead leaves and branches from around out buildings and nearby shrubbery.

• Have at least one garden hose hooked up to a water source. Or fill buckets and barrels with water.

• Clear trees.

The last one can be hard to do for some, or expensive to have done. However, the borough can offer up to $800 to clear away dead or problem trees. In order to qualify, though, residents have to have an assessment done. That part is free. Once someone comes out and points out possible fire problems and solutions, then certain trees within 30 feet may be removed in a cost-share program.

For a free home assessment, call 373-8823. More information on the cost-sharing program can be found by going to the ww1.matsugov.us/des/ and clicking on the Fire Wise tab.