The Denali Borough has lifted emergency evacuation orders for the city of Anderson that had been in place since Saturday due to a nearby wildfire.
The lightning-caused Starry Fire was reported Saturday evening. It has burned about 575 acres in a forested area between the small Parks Highway community of Anderson and Clear Space Force Station, which are separated by a few miles.
Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection officials said Tuesday that crews have made progress toward fully containing the Starry Fire, aided by hose laid around the blaze and rain showers on Monday and Tuesday.
“We put together the work and the weather, and it goes faster in our favor when we get some moisture,” said forestry division spokesperson Terry Solomon.
Borough Mayor Chris Noel said Tuesday that’s good news.
“ Yeah, we're feeling very good about progress on the fire. The crews completed a dozer line all the way around it yesterday. And there's been a lot of moisture falling here in the Denali Borough,” he said.
Borough officials on Tuesday reduced the evacuation status from a “GO” level, which orders residents to evacuate, to a “SET” level, which advises residents to be prepared to evacuate. Officials said those who evacuated may return to their homes if they haven’t done so already. But officials say residents should stay alert and continue monitoring the fire. On Wednesday morning, the evacuation status dropped an additional level, to “READY.”
The Tri-Valley School in Healy has been serving as a shelter for evacuees, but borough officials said Monday that it had gotten little use. Noel said there isn’t anyone in the school now, but he said the borough is still offering to help residents displaced by the fire.
He praised the firefighters for their quick response and hard work to contain the fire.
“We're just really thankful for all the efforts of the firefighters on the ground,” he said. “This was just an incredible response to what could have turned into a bigger fire. But they were able catch it pretty quick and keep it pretty small.”
Six firefighting crews were working on the fire as of Tuesday evening to keep it from spreading and to extinguish it. The Starry Fire was 50% contained as of Wednesday morning, according to the borough and state forestry division.
