Anchorage firefighters were alerted to a forest fire near McHugh Creek south of the city late Wednesday night. The fire was at least 45 minutes up a trail on the North side of the creek but did not appear to be growing rapidly. Due to the location, darkness and weather conditions, crews couldn’t respond until this morning to extinguish it.
Alaska division of forestry fire management officer Norm McDonald says six crewmen were dispatched to the site early Thursday morning.
“The fire’s about one acre in size, and it was about 30% active about midday, McDonald said. “Firefighters will remain on scene throughout the day and tomorrow. At this time, we don’t have a cause, that’s under investigation.”
McDonald says the firefighters couldn’t get in very far with a fire truck.
“They just are hauling everything up to the fire on foot,” said McDonald. “It is about a mile off Rabbit Creek trail.”
MacDonald says no homes or structures are threatened by the fire.
APTI Reporter-Producer Ellen Lockyer started her radio career in the late 1980s, after a stint at bush Alaska weekly newspapers, the Copper Valley Views and the Cordova Times. When the Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound, Valdez Public Radio station KCHU needed a reporter, and Ellen picked up the microphone.
Since then, she has literally traveled the length of the state, from Attu to Eagle and from Barrow to Juneau, covering Alaska stories on the ground for the AK show, Alaska News Nightly, the Alaska Morning News and for Anchorage public radio station, KSKA
elockyer (at) alaskapublic (dot) org | 907.550.8446 | About Ellen
