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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Fire in south-central Alaska among dozens sparked by thousands of lightning strikes around state

Zaz Hollander Anchorage Daily News

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A lightning fire that started Thursday in the Mat-Su Valley was among dozens of new wildland blazes sparked around Alaska by thunderstorms, wind and high temperatures.

The Mat-Su fire was located near the Eureka Roadhouse about 5 miles off the Glenn Highway and estimated at 70 to 100 acres, according to a Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection update Thursday evening.

Firefighters and aviation assets from Palmer and Glennallen where responding to the fire the update said: “The initial size up indicated that the fire was burning in black spruce and tundra and … exhibiting extreme fire behavior with short runs and spotting ahead of the main fire.”

Officials said the fire poses no impact to structures or the general public as of Thursday evening. It will be visible to drivers on the Glenn Highway corridor.

Large thunderheads rose over the area Thursday afternoon.

“We have a forest fire that started by the Nelchina Glacier by lightning. We have light winds and 71 degrees. I’ll post updates as soon as I get them the fire is growing pretty fast,” the Gunsight Mountain Lodge posted on Facebook on Thursday afternoon. The lodge is located along the Glenn near the Matanuska River east of Sutton in the Glacier View area.

Dozens of new fires were reported across the state Tuesday and Wednesday after widespread thunderstorms. More fires started Thursday, including a 600-acre fire west of Chicken near the Canadian border.

By Thursday afternoon, 199 wildfires had burned approximately 16,500 acres across the state — a statistic expected to rise given little significant precipitation in the forecast for many parts of the state, BLM Alaska Fire Officials said in an update.

No major fires were reported as of Thursday afternoon in Anchorage or on the Kenai Peninsula.

The 20-acre Obrien fire north of Fairbanks was spotted Tuesday and by Wednesday prompted the closure of the western portion of the White Mountains National Recreation Area, according to the Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service. The closure includes trails, public-use cabins, trail shelters and the Wickersham Dome Trailhead at Mile 28 of the Elliott Highway.

Near Fairbanks, two lightning-caused fires northwest of the Salcha River on Thursday combined into one, 300-acre blaze burning in black spruce with “active flame fronts,” according to an update from the Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The fires prompted Fairbanks North Star Borough officials to issue a “ready” evacuation order for part of the Salcha River corridor, which starts at the community of Salcha along the Richardson Highway.

Earlier in the week, borough officials issued similar orders — recommending residents monitor emergency information and be prepared — for parts of Chena Hot Springs Road.

Another, larger fire north of the Yukon River and directly across from Rampart was estimated at 200 acres “and growing fast” on Wednesday night when smokejumpers arrived, according to Bureau of Land Management fire service officials.

Additional crews and a Type 3 team were headed to Rampart on Thursday. The smokejumpers “are already working with the community to identify and assess nearby values at risk, including seven Native allotments and a structure located on the north side of the river,” BLM fire officials said.

Tuesday was the most active lightning day across the state this season and since 2021, with more than 15,700 strikes, according to the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center.

As of Thursday evening, 48 new fires were burning around the state and 105 were considered active, according to the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center.