Alaska wildfire sparked on Army range grows; evacuations lifted

Six hundred residents were briefly evacuated after a central Alaska wildfire near Fairbanks more than doubled in size over the weekend, officials said Monday.

The Stuart Creek fire, which was sparked on a Army weapons range, has devoured more than 79,000 acres of land and cost $5.5 million to fight so far, according to the latest official tallies.

Officials warned nearby residents that smoke could descend over their towns and cause health problems.

Bernie Pineda, spokesman for the Alaska Fire Service out of Ft. Wainwright, an Army base, said the fire was apparently sparked June 19 by an “explosive munition.”

The fire was difficult to battle at first due to unexploded ordnance in the Army range, forcing firefighters to rely on aircraft, Pineda said.

Fanned by high winds and low humidity, and feeding off dry black spruce, the blaze grew, spurring officials to evacuate residents of Two Rivers and Pleasant Valley on Sunday.

“It’s pretty much doubled in size overnight,” Pineda said.

The fire, which remains almost entirely within military land, was 5% contained as officials lifted the evacuation order Monday afternoon. Nearly 700 personnel were battling the blaze, and Pineda said military choppers were helping too.

Officials worried the fire might jump to the north bank of the Chena River, which has thus far bounded the fire.

Hotshot crews -- like the one killed by the Yarnell Hill fire in Arizona last week -- were scouting the terrain south of the river to find a strategic area to build a fire line, officials said.

Sprinklers had been activated at homes south of the river in hopes of saving the residences, which sit north of the military testing area.

A spokeswoman for the base did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Her voicemail greeting said she was on furlough Monday and would return Tuesday.

Ft. Wainwright hosts the Army’s 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, the 25th Infantry Division, the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade (Alaska) and the Medical Department Activity-Alaska, as well as an explosive-ordnance removal team.

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