Public Safety
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Smokejumpers hit new holdover fire near Allakaket as July 4 weekend nears
Smokejumpers deployed to a new holdover fire near Allakaket as fire managers warn the Kenai Peninsula faces the highest fire danger heading into the July 4 weekend.
by Alaska News6h ago1 min readAIInterior Alaska and Kenai Peninsula
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 AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAISterling, 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 1w ago2 min readAIFairbanks, Alaska
Vacant Anchorage home explodes on Brookridge Ave; AFD investigates
A vacant home on Brookridge Ave in Northeast Anchorage exploded around 8 a.m. Sunday, scattering debris into the street with no injuries reported, as Anchorage Fire Department investigates the cause.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago1 min readAIAnchorage, Alaska
Starry Fire hits 70% containment; wetting rain expected Friday night
Starry Fire near Anderson hit 70% containment Friday as rain moves in, dropping evacuation status from GO to READY.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3d ago1 min readAIInterior 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 AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAIUnalaska and Akun Island, Alaska
Two Ruby-area fires reach 1,260 acres; elite crews work flanks
Two lightning fires near Ruby have burned 1,260 acres combined, drawing elite crews from Alaska and Montana who are using a rain window to secure containment lines before conditions shift.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2d ago2 min readAIRuby, Alaska
One Anchorage restaurant keeps getting caught serving with expired cards
Alaska cited six bars and restaurants for servers pouring with expired training cards — one Anchorage spot for the fifth time in four years, now risking its liquor license.
by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min readAIAnchorage, Fairbanks, Soldotna, and Kenai, Alaska
Polly Fire crews shift to structure protection along Fortymile River
Polly Fire crews near Eagle shift to protecting cabins and fish camps along the Fortymile River as rain cuts the fire to a single smoke plume.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1d ago2 min readAIFortymile River, 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 AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAICordova, Alaska
A Coast Guard rescue helicopter crashed on Harbor Mountain above Sitka
A Coast Guard rescue helicopter went down on Harbor Mountain above Sitka Monday. The road is closed, and the crew that rescues others needed it
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAISitka, Alaska
Two Delta Junction wildfires in monitor status; two near full containment
Over here, you got two fires. Over here you got two fires. That's four fires. What are you gonna do with four fires? Maybe just stick to two fires.
by Alaska News3d ago1 min readAIDelta Junction, Alaska
Rain offers Interior Alaska's fire crews a needed break
Rain and cooler air are headed for Interior Alaska this weekend — a real break for fire crews who've spent weeks protecting cabins, fish camps, and allotments.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3d ago1 min readAIInterior Alaska
Jade Fire reaches 40% containment near Ambler; Whakatna Fire controlled
Jade Fire near Ambler is 40% contained with unburned ground between the fire and the community landfill, while 22 smokejumpers freed from two controlled fires are now fighting new ignitions near Ruby.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3d ago1 min readAIAmbler, 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 AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readAIAnchorage
Smokejumpers Race to Contain Three New Fires Near Allakaket Allotments
Smokejumpers contained the Canoe Fire near Allakaket overnight, but two smaller fires nearby have Native allotments within five miles under full protection protocols.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2d ago2 min readAIAllakaket, Interior, 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 Smith3w ago2 min readAIUtqiaġvik, North Slope Borough, Alaska
All 4 crew rescued after Coast Guard Jayhawk crashes near Sitka
All four crew members were rescued after a Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopter crashed near Sitka.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAISitka, Alaska
Tok suspends burn permits ahead of Chickenstock festival
Trying to enjoy chickenstock, and yes, that is a real thing, well, you better pre-burn your barrels. Cause that is no longer A-OK at this wholesome event.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2w ago2 min readAIAlaska
Anderson residents ordered to evacuate as Star Fire hits 100 acres
Anderson residents evacuated Saturday as the Star Fire burned 100 acres south of town, with two smaller fires igniting nearby under a Red Flag Warning through Sunday.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAIAnderson, Alaska
Anderson's mandatory evacuation is lifted, but the Starry Fire isn't out
Anderson's mandatory evacuation is lifted as the Starry Fire hits 60% containment. It's not out — crews are still mopping up, and the town is told to stay ready.
by Walter AlaskaNews5d ago1 min readAIAnderson, 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
Anchorage Assembly set to award $2.4M in tree-removal contracts Tuesday
Anchorage Assembly votes Tuesday on $2.4 million in tree-removal contracts to address beetle-killed spruce and hazard trees threatening homes and public safety.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAIAnchorage, Alaska
Interior's First Big Smoke Event Drifts Toward Fairbanks
The season's first real smoke has arrived in the Interior, and the borough's advice is blunt: if it's hazy and smells like smoke, don't wait for the monitor's permission to head indoors.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAIInterior Alaska
Granite Fire near Delta Junction reaches 100% containment
The Granite Fire near Delta Junction is fully contained after crews extinguished the 36-acre blaze, though a flight restriction remains in effect.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min readAIDelta Junction, Alaska
Alaska wildfire surge: preparedness measures held more than 50 starts small
Pre-positioned crews and fuel breaks stopped more than 50 Alaska wildfire starts from spreading this month, the state forestry division said.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min readAIInterior Alaska
Anchorage man arrested after walking armed, drunk on Funny River Rd
Alaska State Troopers arrested Anchorage resident Garrett Andrews, 22, after he walked armed and intoxicated down Funny River Road near Soldotna on Friday night, forcing drivers to swerve.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago1 min readAISoldotna, Alaska
Smokejumpers, hotshots battle 52-acre Yenlo Fire near Talkeetna
A 52-acre wildfire north of Skwentna grew overnight from 10 acres, drawing smokejumpers and hotshot crews to protect remote cabins in the upper Susitna Valley while aerial tankers slow the human-caused fire.
by Alaska News2w ago2 min readAITalkeetna
Man believed to be Portland hiker found dead near Ketchikan's Deer Mountain Trail
A Portland hiker who called Alaska State Troopers lost near Ketchikan's Deer Mountain Trail on June 14 was found dead the next morning at the bottom of a cliff during a helicopter search.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2w ago1 min readAIKetchikan, Alaska
Smokejumpers battle two wildfires near Ruby as smoke reaches village
Smokejumpers and aircraft are battling two wildfires near Ruby that together cover 660 acres and are currently pushing away from the village and nearby Native allotments.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3d ago1 min readAIRuby, Alaska
Alaska opens 10 wildfire investigations in 24 hours
Nine wildfires entered investigation status across Alaska between Friday and Saturday, with a tenth discovered days earlier on June 22. Ignitions stretch from the lower Kuskokwim to the central Brooks Range foothills; acreage and containment data are not yet available from DNR or AICC.
by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago1 min readAIAlaska
Mastadon Fire reaches full containment after drone-guided mop-up
The Mastadon Fire southeast of Talkeetna reached full containment Friday after a drone spotted the last patch of heat, letting ground crews finish the job same-day instead of waiting for the next morning's aircraft pass.
by Alaska Newsadded 3w ago2 min readAITalkeetna
Alaska Moves to Keep One of the World's Last Fire Outposts
Alaska wants to keep the McGrath Fire Base — one of the last forward firefighting outposts on Earth, guarding 66 million roadless acres with a crew that's mostly temps.
by Maggie AlaskaNews5d ago2 min readAIMcGrath, Alaska
Troopers recover paddleboarder's body from Turnagain Arm sandbar
Alaska State Troopers recovered the body of Joshua Novakovich, 25, from a Turnagain Arm sandbar on June 21, three days after he was swept away while paddleboarding near mile 92 of the Seward Highway.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAITurnagain Arm, Alaska
Beluga Fire reaches 65 acres in Mat-Su, 25% contained
Beluga Fire west of Susitna has grown to 65 acres and is 25 percent contained as of Saturday, with hot, dry conditions and evening lightning expected to keep fire danger high through the weekend.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAIMat-Su Valley, Alaska
Denali ranger dies in crevasse fall near 14,000 Foot Camp
Robin Pendery, a National Park Service mountaineering ranger, died Thursday after falling into a crevasse near 14,000 Foot Camp on Denali.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readAIDenali National Park and Preserve
Anchorage Assembly approves True North deflection contract with APD
Anchorage Assembly approved a contract with True North Recovery to connect people arrested for low-level offenses to treatment instead of jail, funded by opioid settlement money.
by Walter AlaskaNews6d ago2 min readAIAnchorage
Smokejumpers were called to a fire near a Kuskokwim homestead — then couldn't jump
A fire near a Kuskokwim homestead hit 50 acres, so Alaska scrambled its smokejumpers — who found the terrain too dangerous to jump. Back to plan B.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAISouthwest Alaska
Pedestrian dies after being struck by two vans on Glenn Highway near Boniface
A pedestrian died Tuesday morning after being struck by two vans on the Glenn Highway near Boniface Parkway, according to an Anchorage Police Department statement.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAIAnchorage
Starry Fire forces Anderson evacuations; 75 personnel battle 688-acre blaze
The Starry Fire forced Anderson evacuations Saturday and burned 688 acres 80 miles south of Fairbanks; 75 personnel are holding lines to push it toward the river.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAIAnderson, Alaska
