Talkeetna wildfire contained after overnight crew work

Fire crews worked through the night to contain an 18-acre wildfire southeast of Talkeetna that required retardant tankers, helicopters, and 42 personnel before being declared fully contained Friday afternoon.

The Mastadon Fire grew from one acre to 18.4 acres after a Division of Forestry and Fire Protection engine spotted smoke on patrol Wednesday. The Pioneer Peak Hotshot Crew and Mat-Su Type 2 Fire Crew stayed on site overnight June 3-4, working late into the evening to establish hose lays and extinguish hot spots along the fire's perimeter.

Aerial resources including a retardant tanker and helicopters supported ground crews in stopping the fire's spread. By June 4, crews had achieved 50 percent containment and began gridding operations 100 feet into the burned area to locate remaining heat sources.

Crews declared the fire 100 percent contained at 1:11 PM Friday after infrared drone flights identified and helped extinguish the last heat source. With containment objectives achieved, the Pioneer Peak Hotshot Crew was released from the incident and will begin refurbishing equipment before becoming available for future fire assignments. A second infrared drone flight is scheduled for Saturday morning to identify any additional heat sources and reduce the potential for re-ignition.

No structures were threatened and no evacuations were ordered during the incident. For more information, the public can call the Statewide Fire Information Line at 907-356-5511.