Mat-Su residents asked to prepare as wildfire season begins

What you need to know:

• State officials said Mat-Su residents should prepare for wildfire season, which runs from April 1 to Aug. 31. Most early-season fires are human-caused, they said.
•  Officials expect average fire conditions this year, but warmer-than-normal weather could increase risk; residents are advised to clear dry vegetation from around homes.
• A controlled 375-acre burn near Sutton is planned next month to promote plant growth, with about 30 firefighters on site and operations dependent on safe weather conditions.

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PALMER – Even as snow flurries returned to portions of Mat-Su this week, state safety officials said residents should be on guard against wildfires and take time to prepare their homes and yards for this year’s fire season.

Wildland fire season in Mat-Su officially runs from April 1 to Aug. 31, according to state forestry officials. Residents planning anything beyond a small warming campfire must apply for and receive a burn permit. Applications are available online, at the state forestry office in Palmer, or from any Matanuska-Susitna Borough fire station.

Conditions this year are expected to be typical for wildland fires, officials said, but warmer-than-normal conditions are in the forecast, and residents should still be careful.

“We live in Alaska — whether you’re in Mat-Su and Southcentral, the peninsula or up here in the interior — we are a fire-prone state,” said Sam Harrel, a state forestry information officer. “Folks here in Alaska need to be ready.”

Most early-season fires are caused by humans, not weather events like lightning strikes, Harrel said. Snow-covered ground can quickly turn to dry grass and leaves in the right spring weather, creating a perfect bed for an accidental blaze, he said.

“That snow goes away and that dead vegetation is dry, dry, dry,” he said. “A little breeze and a little sunshine — and just a spark, and off it goes.”

Harrel recommends residents take time to clear vegetation around their homes, removing dry brush and leaves from under porches and in gutters, and trimming back tree branches. Those steps are basics taught through the state’s Firewise program, which can provide free on-site property fire hazard assessments.

“We encourage people to be ready — look at your yard and look at your neighbor’s yard, and help your neighbors,” he said. “In the long run, it’s going to help your community.”

Fire season does not mean a halt to controlled blazes. State forestry and wildlife officials are planning a burn in a 375-acre section of the Moose Range near Sutton next month, they said in a public notice. It is needed to encourage plant growth, the release said.

About 30 firefighters will be on hand during the multiday project, and the operation will only move forward if weather conditions don’t make the plan too dangerous for the surrounding areas, they said.

-- Contact Amy Bushatz at contact@matsusentinel.com