Weekend winds play havoc with wildfires, outages

WASILLA — The high winds that buffeted the Mat-Su Saturday morning through Monday evening wreaked havoc across the Valley. Everything from wildfires to power outages to borough closures were blamed on winds that gusted as high as 63 miles per hour in Palmer Monday. With the exception of the ongoing Moose Creek wildfire, things have regained a sense of normalcy.

During the height of the sustained winds, Monday morning into early afternoon, Matanuska Electric Association (MEA) reported more than 7,600 customers without power. MEA spokeswoman Julie Estey said numerous lines were downed throughout the coverage area because of fallen trees and flying heavy debris. Outages were reported from Talkeetna and Glacier View to the north and as far south as Knik-Goose Bay Road (KGB).

Things began going south for customers during the early hours of Monday with about 1,200 without power. The MEA Facebook page noted those were mainly in the Wasilla and Sutton areas. By 7:30 a.m. Monday, outages more than quintupled as 12 separate crews responded. Estey said one crew had to return due to mandatory rest guidelines.

MEA reported, 98 percent of its customers in Glacier View and 97 percent of Chickaloon were without power, as were 24 percent of Sutton and 23 percent of Lazy Mountain. Overall, about 19,000, or approximately 40 percent of MEA members were affected during the windstorm throughout the day Monday. By early Tuesday morning, the number of outages had dropped to near zero.

One of those downed power lines is believed to have been the culprit of a Monday afternoon wildfire near Sutton. At about 2 p.m., the Alaska Division of Forestry (ADF) reported Mile 68 on Glenn Highway near Sutton. The fire, about 10 miles north of the Moose Creek blaze, was reported at 1 p.m. by a passerby. ADF responded to the five-acre King Fire near Mile 68.5 on Glenn Highway having to pull a dozen firefighters off the Moose Creek blaze. One engine and a helicopter were called to help contain the blaze which burned parallel to the highway.

ADF Palmer Fire Management Officer Norm McDonald said as of Tuesday afternoon, less than a half-dozen firefighters remained on-scene. McDonald said the fire was contained and the remaining crew was watching for any possible hot spots.

The Mat-Su Borough Central Landfill was forced to close shortly before noon Monday. Borough Department of Public Works director Terry Dolan said sustained winds at the 49th State Street facility were registering 37 miles per hour (mph) with gusts to 52 mph. Acceptable operating winds, Dolan said, are below 25 mph with gusts no higher than 45. The Landfill reopened as scheduled Tuesday morning.

Most attention has been focused on the ongoing 300-plus acre Moose Creek Fire which flared up early Saturday morning as the result of an escaped debris burn. With most seasonal firefighters already laid off for the wildfire season, ADF scrambling to find bodies to battle the blaze. Alaska Air National Guard firefighters along with two helicopters and pilots, the smoke jumpers out of Fairbanks, and Tanana Chiefs fire crew joined local state forestry crews. Additionally, Mat-Su fire departments from Palmer, Sutton, Butte and West Lakes were called to help.

ADF spokesman Tim Mowry reported Sunday overnight and Monday morning sub-freezing temperatures combined with strong winds not only caused hot spots to flare up from wind-carried embers, it also resulted in firefighters battling freezing hose lines, pumps, and tanks of water brought in for fire suppression efforts.

Mowry said active fire behavior helped spur a three-acre flare up on the western perimeter Sunday night prompted managers to shift resources from other parts of the fire to that area to contain the flare up and prevent it from moving into the Moose Creek drainage. It was that section of fire that turned south early Monday morning and made a run toward Glenn Highway as the entire blaze quickly blossomed to 300 acres.

Monday morning, fueled by strong northerly winds of 20-30 mph with frequent gusts to 40-50 mph resulted in fire managers opting to construct a dozer line paralleling that edge of the fire down to the Glenn Highway. That forced highway closure around Mile 54 for about 45 minutes where the blaze reached within 75-feet of the roadway. It and also resulted in afternoon delays between Mileposts 54-58 as firefighters bucked fallen trees road crews cleaned up and re-ditched the affected area.

ADF said the concern was the fire could jump the highway, potentially closing it entirely. Additionally, should the fire have jumped, prevailing winds could have allowed it to reach Moose Creek canyon and possible dwellings near Buffalo Mine Road and surrounding area. Inmates at Palmer Correction Facility were evacuated Monday morning. The fire grew to 328 acres by Monday evening at the same time the strong winds began subsiding.

After three days of battling the blaze, McDonald said as of Tuesday afternoon, 91 personnel from multiple agencies and fire departments are working to corral the fire, which was listed at 22 percent containment as of 7 p.m. Monday. McDonald said there was no fire growth Monday night but firefighters were back at it Tuesday morning.

“We’re working on the perimeter,” McDonald said. “We hope to have it 100 percent contained soon but we’ll have a better idea (of how things stand) this evening. The firefighters will remain for the next day or two and then we can start releasing some of them.”

Two helicopters remained at the staging area but had not been called into use Tuesday, McDonald said. Firefighters are also bucking roadside and trail trees which could be dangerous to both the public and personnel on the scene.

The National Weather service reported Tuesday morning winds at 10-15 mph with gusts of 25-30 possible, half the strength of Monday. Those winds were expected to decrease to 10 mph or less by Tuesday night. There is also a chance of snow starting tomorrow which would aide in the mopping up process.

Motorists on Glenn Highway might experience delays between Miles 54-58 and are asked to drive cautiously and watch for firefighting equipment and/or crews on the road.