Fire crews are battling two serious wildfires in Alaska that are threatening hundreds of residences and have forced numerous evacuations.
The most recent fire erupted Monday and burned six structures and prompted hundreds of residents to flee homes on the Kenai Peninsula, roughly 150 miles south of major wildfire that started a day earlier near Willow in the heart of the state's sled-dog community.
The Willow-area blaze prompted volunteers to join in making sure that both people and their sled dogs as well as other animals were safely evacuated.
The fire is raging near a far-flung community of about 2,000 people living along a 20-mile swath along the Parks Highway, a major road connecting Anchorage and Fairbanks.
The most current reports I've seen say that this fire has already burned up 8,500 acres, and when I walked out of my back door this morning I could smell it in the air. Quite strong actually.
Which is not surprising since the fire is only around 70 miles away from Anchorage. (But less than 30 from Wasilla.)
We get these fires almost every year up here, but usually they are not so close to people's homes.
This one is a particularly bad one however.
Well, Pendejo Cruz announced that the world is on fire many weeks ago. And BTW, has Willow Palin been accounted for during the time the Willow fire began? She has a record of destruction.
ReplyDeleteYeah that was my first thought!
DeleteI also read that at one time this fire was moving at 30 miles per hour. Which is substantially faster than a man can run.
ReplyDeleteVery scary for those folks in Willow right now.
We sent Idaho city and boise hotshots. They're top of the line,cream of the crop. Our fire season.is just starting.
DeleteWe in the fire community feel for those in the way of fire. Mother nature is vicious. Protect your properties by clearing a good fire barrier around your house. Shrubbery,trees next to your house are real pretty until you loose your homes. God bless and stay safe!
DeleteWillow,isn't that where the Health's live? Well its lucky AK has a Dem gov who will step in with his socialist policy's and help if people do lose their home.
DeleteHe must be a Dem! He has already activated the SOE in the area! http://gov.alaska.gov/Walker/press-room/full-press-release.html?pr=7208
3:06 PM
DeleteI've been the "MadZoo" area and people up there treat their properties like dumps.. junked vehicles laying around, a washer a dryer....they just dump it somewhere on the property.
Move those woodpiles away from your homes..too and also. Its not just the brush and trees that will *ladder. Anything flammable. Gas,propane,...forethought sure beats 20 20 hindsight.
DeleteI so wish this fire would engulf the fireworks stands out by the Big Lake/Parks intersection.
ReplyDeleteWe were asked to evacuate from Willow Sunday night at 10:00. By 12:30 Monday, fire was 1 mile from our house. With shifting winds it has gone in a different direction and still is at least 1 mile from the house. Sunday afternoon was wild...crazy winds and charred spruce needles and branches raining down on our place even though fire was still 5 miles away. Some poor folks near where the fire started and in the path of the fire have lost everything. We're luckier because we at least have a motorhome to stay in. Stopped by the Houston Middle School evacuation center. Lots of people and many barking, howling sled dogs. Just heard from a neighbor who was able to sneak in past a trooper who was busy talking to someone else. Our area still intact but dry thunderstorms and heavy winds predicted for later today.
ReplyDeleteWhere are $arah & Toad? Fires seem to always appear where they travel.
ReplyDeletePlease, Please anon @1:23! Lets leave the palins out of this for Just Once! This is serious! (and No, I am not an Alaskan, but I know the damage fires can do).
Delete@2:15 PM Dar Miller? Church fires? Why leave the Palins out of it?
DeleteKnown firebugs don't deserve a break. Best wishes and prayers,Alaska.
DeleteKnown firebugs never deserve a break. Is it wrong to pray to Odin for a fire to smote .... oh. never. mind.
DeleteI will keep it just between Odin and I.
I never thought of Alaska as being so dry that fires would move like that!
ReplyDeleteAlaska hasn't had a lot of big fires in.recent yrs.we get lots of native fire crews down here just to be able to make money to survive. They are good crews and hard workers.
DeleteThe air quality is pretty bad in Anchorage.
ReplyDeleteSending my thoughts & wishes for safety to all of those affected in the area.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes to all my Alaskan friends and stay safe!
ReplyDeleteI was here in '96. The Miller's Reach fire (40,000 acres) was stopped 1/2 a mile from my home. After a long period of figuring that locals could deal with it, they finally called in national help. It was a terrifying few days. The small of smoke sets all of that off again. At that time, the National red cross displaced all the animals that were sheltered on the grounds of Wasilla High. Fortunately my animals were sent to several locations, NOT the high school. It took me about a week after the ordeal was over to locate them all and bring them home.
ReplyDeleteThis time, people/officials are doing an amazing job rescuing both people and animals. And calling in much needed help in a timely manner. Lesson learned
DeeDee Jonrowe, a long time Iditarod musher, lost everything EXCEPT her dogs. Another musher has taken them in for now.
http://www.ktuu.com/news/news/how-willow-mushers-risked-everything-to-save-their-sled-dogs/33591536
All of the people and animals in the path of the fires could use some good thoughts.
On a serious note, I am hoping for my dear friend's family in Willow..... including the whole area of the fire.
ReplyDeleteHoping that everyone affected can become whole again.
Here's to hoping, that Levi and his young family did not move into that particular area - or if they did, that they have a good fire insurance on their new domicile!
ReplyDeleteRead Sunny's FB page
DeleteI don't have Facebook but aren't they still living in Mom's basement? Levi's mom lives in the opposite direction of the fire so if they are still hanging out there they should be fine.
DeleteLevi and Sunny stayed in his mom's garage for about a month so that they could save money.
DeleteThey have had their own place for awhile now.
Everyone up there: now os not the time for heroism. LEAVE BEFORE YOUR ESCAPE ROUTES ARE BLOCKED BY FIRE AND DEBRIS!
ReplyDeleteThat's rough! Hand in there!
ReplyDeleteWe had bad air quality last week here in the DC area because of a massive fire all the way up in Canada.
It must be unnerving to smell smoke so close to one's home. Even here in Maryland, when I smell it, my wits sharpen. We have potentially a lot of fuel around here that could create some bad situations for too many people.
Hang in there.
M from MD
Had heard about the fires on news and wondered if your neighborhood, G. was in the crosshairs. Hope that the weather cools and winds die down. Hope you are safe.
ReplyDeleteWonder if those smoky smells are being wind-driven toward Wasilla. The Palin factory will all be able to just fly down to their second home in AZ. No word from the ex-quitter governor on the fire? She'll spin this to either blame Obama or make herself a victim.
Gryph,that is one fast moving fire! Its very hard to control with wind and embers carrying 3 miles. Alaska is in drought. Very bad scenario.
ReplyDeleteThis is Houston and bring on the RAIN!!!
ReplyDeleteYeah it rained and showered and thundered and crackled then passed! We got at least an inch the soil so that's good! Yeah!
DeleteStay safe, all.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking of everyone affected and hope they get it under control. Fire is unpredictable, and the air quality afterwards is dangerous, especially for folks who are older or have other conditions. Stay Safe, pack your bags, medicines, etc just in case. Get out of Willow till it's over.
ReplyDeleteCNN is reporting on the Alaska fires!
ReplyDeleteInteresting climate research:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/06/16/dinosaurs_dodged_tropics_climate_change_new_study/
It is now known that fireworks and Dick Trani's opinions are the cause of this fire. I suggest that we show up at Dick's house with pitchforks and burning torches to drive this devil out of his lair. Of course you will need a defensive position to dodge his fully automatic firearms.
ReplyDelete