Wildfire breaks out near Meadow Lakes

UPDATE: According to the Mat-Su Borough, the fire was 100 percent contained as of Thursday, May 5, and crews were "mopping up" hot spots within its perimeter. No structures were burned and there were no injuries reported from the 30-acre blaze.

Original story:

MEADOW LAKES — A human-caused wildfire was burning about 30 acres in the Meadow Lakes area on Thursday, according to Mat-Su Borough and Alaska Division of Forestry officials.

The Sunrise Fire was reported by a pilot Wednesday afternoon. Initially a grass fire, the blaze spread into nearby black spruce, according to the Mat-Su Borough, which is updating a blog post about the fire as new developments arise.

One acre is 43,560 square feet, or slightly smaller than a football field without the end zones.

About 16 firefighters from the Gannett Glacier fire crew and another 12 from the Pioneer Peak hot shots were fighting the fire with hand tools, which was not immediately threatening any structures, according to borough public information officer Patty Sullivan. Sullivan said no evacuations had been put in place as of Wednesday evening.

The exact location is about two miles north of Pittman Road near an old logging road west of Bernie Circle. In addition to the fire crews, an air tanker and helicopter were dumping water and flame retardant on the fire.

According to the Division of Forestry’s Norm McDonald, access to the location was “challenging.” Winds in the area were strong and gusting, according to the borough.

However, crews made "good progress" keeping the fire at bay Wednesday evening, McDonald said.

For the most recent up-to-date information, visit the borough’s blog at sunrisefire2016.com.