Wildfire smoke blankets Mat-Su Borough issues air quality advisory

MAT-SU — Throughout the week wildfire smoke from the Interior has been funneling into the Valley, obscuring the mountains and prompting the Mat-Su Borough Planning and Land Use Department to issue an air-quality advisory for the eastern Matanuska Valley.

As the haze snaked through Mat-Su this week, Valley residents began to feel the effects of Alaska’s worst wildfire season since 1957, with more than 5 million acres burned as of Tuesday. Brian Miller, a spokesman from the Joint Information Center in Fairbanks, said if the record has not already been broken it will be by the end of the season. Miller said the Taylor Complex fires alone account for more than 1 million acres burned, and scores of other fires are adding to the total every day. There are currently more than 100 wildland fires throughout the state, according to the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center.

The wildfire haze has spread south across the state, with smoke reaching heights of 20,000 feet, according to the Joint Information Center. Miller said he received a call Monday from Haines Junction in Canada, where three-quarter-mile visibility was reported due to wildfire haze from Alaska’s Interior.

John See, regional fire manager for the state Division of Forestry, said this is the worst fire season he can remember for this time of year. In a normal year there would have already been fire-season-ending events due to weather changes, See said, but it hasn’t happened this year as temperatures remain in the high 70s to low 80s throughout Southcentral Alaska.

According to a press release issued Tuesday by the Borough Planning and Land Use Department, air quality in the Palmer and Wasilla areas was hazardous this week due to drifting wildfire smoke. A temporary flight restriction over Palmer went into effect Wednesday, according to a press release from the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center.

Children, the elderly and people with existing heart or respiratory problems were advised to avoid prolonged physical exertion and outdoor activity. The general public was also advised to avoid vigorous outdoor activity until the smoke subsides.

Elizabeth Ripley, director of marketing and public relations at Valley Hospital, said the hospital has not seen an increase in respiratory complaints or treatment in the last week.

The advisory was set to expire at midnight, Aug. 20, or as soon as conditions improved.