We all have a duty to prevent wildfire

It’s rare that we get as close to a fire as we did on Wednesday.

Usually, we need a pretty long lens to get the kind of shots we got of the Division of Forestry’s water-dumping helicopter.

But the blaze near Cedar Hills was right behind the subdivision. Firefighters didn’t have to walk very far to get there. We didn’t leave the Cedar Hills pavement, but could have thrown a rock and almost hit the fire line. Firefighters were in the somewhat paradoxical situation of being able to use fire hydrants — a rarity in the Valley — on a wildfire.

That proximity to homes is exactly what was so terrifying about the fire and why multiple Palmer police officers were called to the scene. Evacuations are relatively rare in the wildfire game, but this one had the potential to displace a lot of people very quickly.

Which is why we tip our hats to the firemen who, as they so often say, “put the wet stuff on the hot stuff” and saved that subdivision. We’re grateful they chose to put themselves in harm’s way to protect our neighbors.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but it was a clear blue day so it wasn’t a lightning strike. Which means that the fire was almost certainly human-caused.

And that brings us to a crucial point: This is a very dangerous time in the Valley. The National Weather Service has us under a red flag warning. The Division of Forestry, in response, has issued a burn suspension outlawing anything but warming and cooking fires.

Added to the dry weather is the wind. If it weren’t for the winds Wednesday, that fire wouldn’t have encroached upon the subdivision.

Firefighters are running themselves ragged right now. We urge you to respect that burn suspension. Don’t make things any more hectic or dangerous than they already are for these men and women.

If you’ve got a pile of brush you need burned, you can monitor Forestry’s burn permit website at forestry.alaska.gov/burn.

We would also like to reiterate that although they may be allowed, even warming and cooking fires have the potential to get out of control. That fact was clearly illustrated in the brief Forestry synopsis of one of four wildfires that started in our Valley on Wednesday.

For example, here’s the report for one fire on Wednesday, “Palmer 911 called and reported an escaped campfire and requested Forestry to respond. On arrival Forestry unified command with local (volunteer fire department) and suppressed the fire. Fire was caused by an escaped warming fire. The fire was turned over to the homeowner and called administratively out.”

It was a small fire, burning less than half an acre. But it illustrates the point. If you’re going to start a fire right now, make sure you have water and a shovel at the ready. Indeed, that’s always good advice any time you start a fire.

Just a final thought — Forestry says that so far this year the Anchorage/Mat-Su region has experienced 33 fires. Considering that only 16.7 acres have burned, the bulk of those fires were small. But, please, use common sense. Given the rate at which new fires have been starting this week, by the time you read this No. 34 will likely already have started and hopefully extinguished without loss of life or property. Please don’t be No. 35.