Public Safety
RSSAlaska News tracks public safety coverage including law enforcement operations, emergency response, regulatory enforcement.
Konedsin Minnkohwin Fire burns within Kanuti refuge near Allakaket
Lightning sparked a 200-acre fire in Kanuti refuge near Allakaket, with firefighters protecting cabins and fish camps instead of suppressing the main blaze.
by Maggie AlaskaNews7h ago1 min readAIAllakaket, Alaska
Two teenagers die in head-on dirt bike collision on Prince of Wales Island
Two teenagers, Greyer Schwegel, 18, and Paul Lingley IV, 17, died in a head-on dirt bike collision on the Hollis Highway on Prince of Wales Island Tuesday evening.
by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago1 min readAIHollis, Prince of Wales Island, Alaska
Fatal crash at Glenn Highway S Curves kills two, closes corridor Thursday morning
A Ford F150 crossed the median at Glenn Highway S Curves on Thursday morning, killing two drivers and sending a child to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1w ago1 min readAIAnchorage
Wasilla man dies after fleeing troopers at 100 mph following domestic assault
Cecil Nelson, 57, of Wasilla, died Saturday after leading Alaska State Troopers on a high-speed pursuit following a reported domestic violence assault. He was ejected from his vehicle after losing control on a curve, and was not wearing a seatbelt.
by Walter AlaskaNews6d ago1 min readAIWasilla, Alaska
Sitka police tag 27 vehicles in abandoned-car crackdown since May
Sitka police have tagged 27 abandoned vehicles since May, removing 15 and giving owners up to 60 days to move or fix them before the city disposes of the car at their expense.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago2 min readAISitka, Alaska
Prius driver airlifted after T-bone crash at Moose Pass highway junction
A Prius driver ran a stop sign at Moose Pass and was hit by a semi-truck Sunday, requiring helicopter evacuation and closing both highways.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1w ago1 min readAIMoose Pass, Alaska
Convicted child abuser killed by troopers after armed standoff near Whittier
A man convicted of child sexual abuse was killed by troopers near Whittier after he armored up and pointed a gun at officers from an anchored boat, days after fleeing sentencing.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAIWhittier, Alaska
Helicopter sinks in Chelatna Lake; bystander pulls both survivors from water
A helicopter sank in Chelatna Lake near Skwentna on Sunday after a boater pulled both occupants from the water; both survived with minor injuries.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 1w ago1 min readAIChelatna Lake, Alaska
Fatal crash at Glenn Highway S Curves slows Anchorage commute Thursday
One person was killed in a multi-vehicle crash on the Glenn hwy.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAIAnchorage, Alaska
Fairbanks man killed after trooper opens fire during early-morning pursuit
Alaska State Trooper shot and killed a man in Fairbanks early Monday after a 90-second vehicle pursuit ended on a dead-end street and the driver turned toward the officer. • This is the second officer-involved fatality in Fairbanks in two weeks. • The Alaska Bureau of Investigation is conducting the investigation; the Office of Special Prosecutions will independently review findings.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAIFairbanks, Alaska
Anchorage keeps deferring a public safety commission it can't agree on
Anchorage's proposed public safety commission got punted again — stuck on whether it should actually have power, what it would cost, and what problem it's even solving.
by Walter AlaskaNews4d ago2 min readAIAnchorage
Juneau's new casino, and the land the city can't reach
Juneau's first casino opened on sovereign Native allotment land, through a legal door ANCSA was built to close and the courts haven't settled. The city can't even regulate it.
by Walter AlaskaNews5d ago2 min readAIJuneau, Alaska
Alaska National Guard completes 4 rescues over July 4 weekend
Alaska National Guard helicopters rescued four people over the July 4 weekend from remote Interior and Southcentral locations, including two critically ill patients and two stranded hikers.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAIAlaska
A tip about a truck running over seagulls ended in a DUI arrest at Kasilof
A tip about a truck running over seagulls at Kasilof Beach led troopers to a Fairbanks man now facing DUI, weapons, and a federal migratory-bird charge.
by Alaska News4d ago1 min readAIKasilof, Alaska
Anchorage man faces 13 felony counts after a gun threat off the Glenn Highway
A man was jailed without bail after a 911 call reported him threatening to kill someone with a gun off the Glenn Highway — and, with no police in Eureka, held far from home.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min readAIGlennallen, Alaska
A fire no one is fighting has been fouling Fairbanks' air for weeks
Alaska's letting the Tatlanika Fire burn on purpose — too remote to be worth fighting — but its smoke has been parked over Fairbanks and Nenana for weeks anyway.
by Maggie AlaskaNews5d ago1 min readAIFairbanks, Alaska
Northern Alaska's staffed wildfires wind down, but crews brace for more
Rain did what the crews couldn't and mopped up northern Alaska's last staffed fires — though with 2,000 lightning strikes a day, nobody's putting the shovels away.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4d ago2 min readAIAlaska
The Grandview Fire has closed Swanson River Road and burned 30 acres near Sterling
The Grandview Fire is at 30 acres near Sterling. Swanson River Road is closed, the canoe route is offline, no evacuations yet.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAISterling, Alaska
Three wildfires close to Native allotments near Huslia and Galena as lightning siege continues
Three lightning fires are burning near Native allotments in western Alaska, with smokejumpers responding as part of a 19-fire surge across the state.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago3 min readAIWestern Alaska
New fire burns 1.5 miles from Native allotment near Kaltag
The Notakok Fire ignited Monday in black spruce 4 miles north of the Yup'ik village of Kaltag, with 12 smokejumpers and water-scooping aircraft on scene and the nearest Native allotment sitting only 1.5 miles away; no size estimate or containment figure has been released.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAIKaltag, Alaska
Tatlanika Fire smoke reaches Fairbanks, 39 miles away
Smoke from the Tatlanika Fire, burning 982 acres 39 miles southwest of Fairbanks, is now visible in Fairbanks and Nenana, though no structures are threatened in its limited-response zone.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAIFairbanks, Alaska
ADF&G warns moose attacks peak as calving season continues through June
Alaska Department of Fish and Game warns moose attacks peak through June as cows defend newborn calves, injuring more Alaskans annually than bears do.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAIAlaska
Delta burn permits suspended Wednesday as fire conditions worsen
Alaska suspended all burn permits in the Delta Fire Prevention Area on Wednesday due to low humidity, gusty winds, and dry fuels that could turn any escaped ember into a fast-moving wildfire.
by Bill AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAIDelta Junction, Alaska
Anchorage Assembly to hear third version of public safety commission ordinance July 21
Anchorage Assembly will hear a third version of a public safety commission ordinance July 21, restoring an advisory forum vacant since January 2024.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min readAIAnchorage, Alaska
FBI, Troopers Arrest Unalaska Man on Two Child Sex Abuse Counts
Arresting one Unalaska man on child sexual abuse charges took two teams and Coast Guard and FBI aircraft, landing on two Aleutian islands at once.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readAIUnalaska and Akun Island, Alaska
Notakok Fire held at 55 acres one mile from Kaltag as smokejumpers begin to stand down
The 55-acre Notakok Fire one mile from Kaltag entered mop-up operations Wednesday as most smokejumpers stood down and a full fire crew took over, with rain and humidity favoring containment.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAIKaltag, Alaska
Five wildfire investigations span Interior to western Alaska
Look into the fires
by Alaska News1w ago1 min readAIInterior to Western Alaska
Juneau airport to lease Texas fire truck while new ARFF rigs await delivery
Juneau airport will lease a Texas fire truck for $162,000 while two new rigs arrive, covering a gap when the airport would have minimal firefighting capacity.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAIJuneau, Alaska
Red Flag Warnings cover five western Alaska regions Tuesday as lightning threat may push to North Slope
NWS Fairbanks issued simultaneous Red Flag Warnings for five regions of western and interior Alaska on Tuesday, with Fire Weather Watches extending the threat into Wednesday and forecasters uncertain how far north thunderstorms will travel.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAIWestern Alaska and Interior Alaska
New York hiker airlifted after head injury on Reed Lakes trail
NY resident got hurt at Reed Lakes. Be careful Reed Lakes. The rocks can get slippery.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAIHatcher Pass, Alaska
24 bottles of R&R, grounded short of Shungnak
Bargain whiskey, $400 a bottle: Fairbanks airport police seized 24 bottles of R&R bound for a dry village, street value $9,600.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3w ago2 min readAIFairbanks, Alaska
A Kenai woman is mauled by a bear on her own front deck
A Kenai woman was seriously hurt when a brown bear sow attacked her on her front deck — drawn in, troopers say, by bird feeders in the yard, on a peninsula that's a bear-attack hot spot.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAIKenai, Alaska
Five wildfires burning across Interior and Western Alaska as Siruk reaches 60% containment
The Siruk Fire near Allakaket reached 60% containment at 619 acres as crews push against forecast heat and critically dry conditions across five active Interior and Western Alaska fires.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAIInterior and Western Alaska
A NOAA crew cut a tangled humpback free at Endicott Arm
A juvenile humpback got tangled at the mouth of Endicott Arm. A NOAA crew freed it from a small boat with knives on poles — work only 94 people nationwide are cleared to do.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago1 min readAISoutheast Alaska
Fairbanks-area teen faces DUI and drug charges after Badger Road stop
A 17-year-old Fairbanks-area driver faces DUI and drug charges after a Badger Road speeding stop turned up a breath alcohol reading above the adult threshold and cannabis paraphernalia.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAIFairbanks, Alaska
Pilot killed in Piper Pacer crash 40 miles southeast of Cordova
A pilot flying solo between Yakutat and Fairbanks was found dead Friday after an Alaska Air National Guard helicopter located the crashed Piper Pacer near Kanak Island, about 40 miles southeast of Cordova.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago1 min readAICordova, Alaska
North Slope approves $3 million police camera contract
North Slope Borough Assembly approved a $3 million five-year contract with Axon Enterprise to upgrade police worn body cameras and tasers.
by Tim Smith1mo ago2 min readAIUtqiaġvik, North Slope Borough, Alaska
A Fox homeowner woke to thieves stealing his copper and fuel. Then the shooting started.
A Fox homeowner woke before dawn to burglars stealing copper and fuel, went to investigate, and traded gunfire with them. No one was hit, and the suspects got away.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min readAIFox, Alaska
Anchorage Assembly to consider letting licensed wildlife operators use air guns in city limits
Anchorage may let licensed wildlife operators use air guns in city limits — sorry, attic squirrels.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAIAnchorage
NWS issues overlapping fire-weather alerts across northern Alaska through July 9
NWS Fairbanks has kept the Northern Seward Peninsula, Upper Kobuk Valleys, and Lower Koyukuk Valley under a Fire Weather Watch through Wednesday evening, while a separate Red Flag Warning for the Upper Koyukuk Valley runs until midnight July 9. Forecasters flagged uncertainty about how far north thunderstorms could push.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAINorthern Seward Peninsula, Alaska
