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McKinley Fire Re-Entry: Safety Officer Tom Greiling on the Hazards Property Owners are Facing as they Return Home

By Alaska Fire PIOs on August 26, 2019

Please be advised, recently burned areas are very dangerous. Fire burns deeply in extremely dry duff layers and has weakened many trees that continue falling unexpectedly. Ash pits have caused minor burn injuries to firefighters. Ash pits are deep holes in the ground filled with hot ash and embers and are often hard to see. These conditions create a very dangerous environment for firefighters and residents.

Weather: A warming and drying trend will begin Monday and remain in the area into the week. Winds should remain light through midweek. Precipitation for the month of August in Anchorage is normally just over three inches. No measureable rain has been reported in August of 2019.

To watch all the McKinley Fire video footage, subscribe to our YouTube Channel:https://tinyurl.com/McKinleyFireYoutube

The Red Cross has two emergency shelters to help evacuated residents. One is located at the Curtis D. Menard Sports Center in Wasilla and the other is located at the Upper Susitna Senior Center in Talkeetna (Parks Hwy mp 99). Caseworkers will be available at the Menard Sports Center from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. to provide recovery casework and planning. This casework will continue until the recovery planning needs of those affected are met.

Air Quality/Smoke: South winds brought smoke from fires on the Kenai Peninsula combining with smoke from the MchKinley and Deshka fires. For additional air quality information, visit https://fires.airfire.org/outlooks/

Closures: The Parks Highway is open. A Temporary Flight Restriction is in place over the fire area from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. For further information, please visit https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_9_4119.html.A portion of Willow Swamp (Game Management Unit 14A) is closed due to the Deshka Landing Fire. For more information, visit the Alaska Department of Fish and Game website at https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/.

Air Quality/Smoke: For air quality information related to wildfires, visit https://fires.airfire.org/outlooks/.

Fire Information: 907-313-9826

Email: 2019.mckinley@firenet.gov

Web: http://www.akfireinfo.com/  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AK.Forestry/

YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/McKinleyFireYoutube