This story was updated on Thursday, June 18 at 4:35.m.
Firefighters say they’re making progress on a Sterling wildfire the state now says was caused by an escaped campfire. The so-called Grandview Fire broke out Wednesday around 4:30 p.m. near the intersection of Swanson River Road and Jacobsen Avenue. The blaze grew from eight to almost 90 acres by midnight.
The state said Thursday morning that crews were making steady progress and limited the fire’s spread toward Sterling. Ongoing work includes bolstering firebreaks, particularly to the east. The state said it would also fly an infrared drone over the fire footprint to identify hot spots.
Alaska Division of Forestry spokesperson Emery Johnson told KDLL the fire is not considered contained, but that it’s bounded to the south by a firebreak and to the north by fire resistant chemicals.
The state initially did not know what started the fire. But Johnson said the state later determined it was caused by an escaped campfire.
When firefighters first arrived at the blaze, it was burning in grass, brush and black spruce trees. The state said Thursday the fire grew less intense when it reached a stand of birch and other hardwood on higher terrain.
Additional firefighters and heavy equipment from Palmer and Fairbanks assisted with operations. Around 9:45 p.m. Wednesday, helicopters could still be seen ferrying water to and from the fire site.
The state forestry division initially said the blaze threatened vehicles and powerlines, but crews stopped the fire before it reached utility lines. Homer Electric Association cut power to more than 3,400 customers after emergency services asked the cooperative to deenergize its power lines so crews could safely drop water on the fire. On social media, HEA said it’d restored power to all customers about an hour and a half later.
The state did not issue any evacuation orders for Sterling.
An assisted living home in Sterling [WEB: Sterling Silver Assisted Living] voluntarily evacuated on Wednesday night, Johnson said, in anticipation of a possible evacuation order late at night. On social media, the Sterling Community Center said it provided temporary shelter to residents, who returned home Thursday morning. Acting Kenai Peninsula Borough Emergency Manager Paul McBride said Thursday the borough’s Office of Emergency Management supplied cots and blankets to the residents who evacuated.
Central Emergency Services assisted state crews with firefighting. The borough Office of Emergency Management said responding agencies had not requested additional support from the borough. But McBride said the borough was collaborating with the forestry division’s public information office.
Alaska State Troopers initially asked people to avoid the section of Swanson River Road near Jacobsen Avenue, but reopened traffic in both directions Thursday.
The Division of Forestry says fire danger on the Kenai Peninsula is “very high.” Burn permits are currently required on the Kenai Peninsula.
Up-to-date information about wildland fires around the state is available on the Alaska Wildland Fire website.
KDLL’s Ashlyn O’Hara contributed reporting.
