Air tankers slow Point Mac fire tonight

MAT-SU— Two air tankers with the Alaska Division of Forestry have dropped 2,000 gallons of fire retardant, so far, slowing the spread of a 10-acre fire at Point MacKenzie that has taken one cabin and a shed.

No injuries are reported. A Forestry helicopter was also dumping buckets of water. The area on fire is not road accessible, so hand crews with the Gannett Glacier Fire Crew had to walk in, and the MAT-SU Borough has shuttled some of Gannett, the Type II Initial Attack Fire Crew from Palmer, on ATVs to reach the blaze. The fire is south of Point MacKenzie Road at mile 4.5.

The fire, called in at 6:34 pm tonight, grew quickly with low humidity and 80-degree temperatures. “The lady who called in said her cabin was taken in this fire and in the wildfire here in May 2006,” said the Borough’s Central MAT-SU Fire Chief James Steele.

Steele said the fire was moving north toward Point MacKenzie Road, but the drop of retardant slowed its progress. The closest homes are within 4/10s of a mile near New Homesteader Ave, he said. Neighbors have been alerted. A plume of smoke is visible. Steele said crews have set up to protect homes in the same place they did in the much larger fire of May 2006 at Cameo Drive and at New Homesteader Ave.

“They’re getting a good handle on it,” Steele said at 9:30 pm.

By 10:25 pm here was the scene:

Central MAT-SU Fire Chief James Steele reports that Borough crews will be leaving the fire at Point MacKenzie by 11 pm tonight. Alaska Division of Forestry crews boxed in the fire with air retardant and water drops. One air tanker is already returning to Fairbanks. Steele said the retardant lines are around the head of the fire. The temperatures dropped 10 degrees in the last half hour, helping the effort. Steele said he expected the fire to lay down tonight. Forestry crews will remain on scene working on the fire tonight.
—PIO Patty Sullivan 10:23 pm

For more information call Public Information Officer Patty Sullivan 355-0103 or

Photo by Jake Boothy, MAT-SU Borough.