Wildfires consume thousands of acres

June 22, 2007

By Hannah Guillaume

Frontiersman

WILLOW - If Thursday felt like the longest day of the year for local firefighters, it was.

The summer solstice came Thursday with a 5,600-acre fire that blazed across western regions of the Mat-Su Borough.

&#8220We saved probably 12 homes with the retardant this morning,” said Tom Dean, incident commander and operations foreman for the Alaska division of forestry on Thursday afternoon.

After flying over the Big Sue Fire, Dean said 40 homes and cabins in the Trapper Lake area, located west of the Susitna River nearly four miles from mile 79 of the Parks Highway, are at risk. Five people on Trapper Lake were evacuated. Three, who were assisted by a private float plane company, asked to not be named and declined to comment.

Firefighters are battling the wildfire from the air and say it was likely caused by lightning storms on Wednesday evening. No buildings east of Trapper Lake are currently at risk.

&#8220The fire has not jumped the Susitna,” Dean said.

No crews fought on the ground Thursday evening, he said, adding three tankers carrying 3,000 gallons of water per drop, a P-3 Orion and two ConAir D36s helicopters are battling the blaze. The fire wasn't contained by Thursday evening and was pushing north east in the direction of South Trapper Lake.

Other areas effected by this and other fires include Willow, Trapper Creek, Hatcher's Pass, Upper Sheep Creek, Yetna River along Lake Creek and Upper Little Willow Creek.

Dean said a temporary flight restriction is in effect for five miles surrounding the Trapper Lake area. All burning, including permit issued, is suspended. Fire fighters and equipment from Canada and other areas of the U.S. will arrive today.

Steve Richter, a manager for Deshka Landing and a Willow resident, said large amounts of smoke caused him to stop working.

&#8220I watched the lightning last night. I thought it would rain and it never did,” he said. &#8220There was only like 10 drops and you could hear it sizzle when it hit the ground.”

He said the threat of wildfire doesn't concern him and he doubts it could jump the river.

Michael Ellis, a Willow resident who lives two miles east of the Susitna River near mile 79.5 of the Parks Highway, said at first he thought the surrounding smoke came from a camp fire.

&#8220I smelled smoke when I got to work this morning,” he said. &#8220If I didn't have my two dogs with me, I'd be pretty worried right now.”

Ellis also believes the fire is unlikely to make it across the fire break caused by the Susitna River.

Derral Godbee, a 75-year-old volunteer firefighter engineer at Willow Fire Station 121, said he worked overnight and was back to work by Thursday afternoon to help helicopters refuel at the temporary incident command post on the Deshka Landing Outdoor Association's property.

&#8220The fire is getting big,” he said. &#8220Right now we're keeping the dust down so the helicopters can land.”

Marvin &#8220Pee Wee” Rankin, battalion chief for the Willow Fire Department, said Wednesday's fire strikes could mean more are coming. Throughout the Mat-Su Borough, lightning is credited with sparking 18 wildfires of varying size and intensity. The Trapper Lake fire is the largest.

&#8220The structure protection at Trapper Lake is our No. 1 priority,” he said. &#8220This one here is in my backyard, so I'm more worried about this one.”

Eight Mat-Su Borough fire departments are working in joint command with the state Division of Forestry. Alaska State Troopers are on standby to assist with more possible evacuations.

Glen Holt, a fire information officer for the Division of Forestry for the Mat-Su area, said firefighters had difficulty containing the blaze because of the area's extreme remoteness.

&#8220Yesterday, we knew we were going to get some very high to extreme fires,” he said. &#8220We're going to pick up more fires today. There's no doubt about it.”

A temporary emergency center is on standby for use at Fire Station 61 in downtown Wasilla.

Dennis Brodigan, the director of emergency services for the Mat-Su Borough, said 30 people were dispatched from Big Lake, Meadow Lake, Houston, Willow, Chugiak and Talkeetna to assist forestry in fighting the fire Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

Borough residents shouldn't need to worry about further evacuations, he said.

&#8220We do not anticipate that happening imminently,” he said. &#8220Alaska State Troopers are helping in the notification and perhaps possible evacuation of anyone that is back in that area.”

Megan Peters, a trooper spokeswoman, said three people evacuated Thursday morning did not require trooper assistance. A private float plane executed their evacuation. Troopers did not release information regarding the plane or its owner.

The last major fire in the Valley occurred in 1996, when 400 buildings were lost.

BREAKOUT:

How dry is it?

Help firefighters extinguish flames by reporting smoke and fires. If you spot either of these call 911.

Low humidity, high winds fanned by low cumulus clouds causing wind and large amounts of brush put the Mat-Su Valley under an extremely high fire danger advisory. All open burning is banned by the Mat-Su Borough, including open burning with permits. This does not include campfires or warming fires.

Avoid lighting fires in windy areas, but check the safety of the enclosure.

For more information visit: http://firewx.arh.noaa.gov/