If you live in the Homer area, you may have noticed the view across Kachemak Bay becoming hazy over the past few days.
Alaska fire officials confirmed Tuesday that the haze is smoke coming from fires burning around the region.
Tim Mowry, with the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center says it is likely that most of the smoke is being blown south along the Kenai Mountains into the area.
“We think it’s coming from the McHugh Fire that is burning just south of Anchorage, around Girdwood. Judging from pictures that I saw it looked like that smoke was blowing south and that would be taking it right down into your neck of the woods. The other possibility is that there could be some smoke coming over from the fires out way west of you in the McGrath area, southwest,” said Mowry.
Mowry says that there are more than 40 lightning caused fires burning in the southwest region ranging from one to ten thousand acres.
As for the McHugh fire, Mowry says it was 60 acres on Monday but high winds hit overnight blowing the fire up to hundreds of acres Tuesday. And the terrain doesn’t help.
“This is a really terrain-driven fire. Anybody from Homer that has driven to Anchorage along Turnagain Arm –that’s real steep country to the east. That’s where the fire is burning. So it finds receptive fuels along in these drainages and it will make short runs up these drainages and it’s sort of crawling, crawling along the ridgetop,” says Mowry.
Mowry says, as of Tuesday evening, the fire was visible from the roadway and causing traffic problems.
Two hotshot crews and a U.S. Forest Service crew are currently fighting the fire and Mowry says more crews are on the way.
“We do have five hotshot crews ordered from the lower 48 and we have a type two team from Alaska coming down to manage that fire. They were up managing a fire up near Tok, the Tok River Fire. That’s well under control now,” says Mowry.
Mowry reminds Kenai Peninsula residents that The Alaska Division of Forestry, Kenai-Kodiak Area Office issued a general burn permit suspension for the region on Monday due to very high fire danger.
“You know, it’s still dry and hot down in the Kenai so there is a burn suspension in place in the Kenai area, on the Kenai Peninsula, which means no burn barrels, no open debris burning, even if you have a permit. That’s all prohibited right now. You can have campfires as long as they are within three feet diameter. But if you’re going to have a campfire make sure you have some water on hand, some tools on hand and don’t leave that thing until you make sure it is out,” says Mowry.
Cooler, wetter weather is in the forecast and Mowry says that fire officials hope it will help them get the McHugh fire under control soon. Until, then the smoky haze will likely continue hanging around.
For more information on the current burn suspension, you can call 260-4269 or visit alaska.forestry.gov/burn.
