Public Safety
RSSAlaska News tracks public safety coverage including law enforcement operations, emergency response, regulatory enforcement.
Alaska opens 10 wildfire investigations in 24 hours
Alaska opened 10 wildfire investigations in 24 hours across the state, from the Kuskokwim to the Brooks Range, all under an acre and still under investigation.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Willow man, 85, missing since June 20; troopers seek tips
Alaska State Troopers seek tips on 85-year-old Willow resident missing since June 20; call (907) 352-5401 with information.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
A small fire near the Taylor Highway, and how Alaska fights it
A lightning-sparked fire is burning just off the Taylor Highway near Chicken — small, but close enough to defend a bridge and cabins while the rest is left to burn.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
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 News3mo ago1 min read
Trooper stop near Glennallen nets fentanyl charge, felon-with-firearm arrest
Bad boys, bad boys. what you gonna do?
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
New fire near Bettles strains crews
Twelve smokejumpers dropped on a new fire near Bettles — one more blaze stretching Interior crews thin as lightning keeps the dry north lighting up.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Jade Fire ignites near Kopshesut origin point, threatens Ambler landfill
You bought one fire was bad? How about two fires!
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Beluga Fire triggers nightly FAA flight restriction near Anchorage
FAA restricted airspace over the Beluga Fire northwest of Anchorage nightly through June 28 to protect firefighting aircraft from the surface to 2,000 feet.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Hunting boats find stranded pair 15 miles offshore near Kotzebue
Two adults stranded 15 miles offshore near Kotzebue were rescued by hunting boats before the formal rescue vessel arrived, both safe by early Wednesday morning.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
U.S. Attorney warns violence against Alaska officers is rising
U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman warned that violence against Alaska officers is rising and often unreported, citing a recent shooting where an officer was struck in the knee.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
Starry Fire hits 50% containment as military crews join Alaska firefighters
Starry Fire #234 reached 50% containment Tuesday as military crews from three Alaska bases joined firefighters securing the perimeter, with rain and wind expected to help cool the interior.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Robots are fighting Alaska wildfires near Nenana right now — on their own
Near Nenana, robots are autonomously fighting fire for an $11M prize — tested on tame controlled burns while the real Interior fire season rages a short flight away.
by Melinda Communities.News3mo ago2 min read
Lightning Lights Up Delta Junction, Then the Rain Comes
Lightning sparked 7,400 strikes and at least 11 fires near Delta Junction Monday, with the Shaw Fire growing nearly 1,900 acres in four hours before Tuesday's rain slowed the spread.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Mat-Su landfill fire draws multi-department response near Palmer-Wasilla corridor
TRASH FIRE, TRASH FIRE!!!
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Betula Fire doubles to 35 acres near Central; Colorado hotshots fly in
The Betula Fire doubled overnight by burning through the dead timber its 2025 predecessor left behind — and crews are racing to pin it before this week's lightning makes more.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
A week of lightning sparked dozens of Alaska fires and forced an entire town to flee
Lightning hit Alaska more than 5,400 times in a week, sparking dozens of fires, and one behind an Anderson school forced the whole town to flee.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
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, two days after he was swept away while paddleboarding near mile 92 of the Seward Highway.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
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 3mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Defending Yukon Fish Camps From Fire
Smokejumpers are guarding Yukon River fish camps and Native allotments from a creeping wildfire — right in the middle of the season families count on to fill their freezers.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Scammers Are Posing as Alaska's Liquor Regulators
Scammers are mailing fake invoices dressed up as Alaska liquor regulators — but the giveaway is easy: the real ones only ever email from @alaska.gov.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
APD awards $1.66M opioid settlement contract for deflection program
Anchorage Police Department recommends a $1.66 million four-year contract with True North Recovery to hire a navigator who steers people in substance use crises toward treatment instead of arrest.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska DFFP battles 4 wildfires across Interior, Southcentral, Southwest
Twin Bear Fire near Fairbanks drew 23 firefighters and helitack crews to a lightning-caused blaze in black spruce with cabins nearby. • Joaquin Fire southwest of McGrath and Vanderpool Fire east of McGrath prompted aerial response due to native allotment and private property. • Matanuska Fire on Glenn Highway was contained within two hours at under half an acre. • Red Flag Warning through Sunday evening cited 30 percent humidity and 40 mph wind gusts near thunderstorms across Central Interior.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Heat and fire risk converge across Interior Alaska for solstice weekend
Interior Alaska's longest weekend brings heat its houses can't handle and lightning that could light the woods. Hydrate, and go check on grandma.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Rain gives Canyon Fire crews window to protect Native allotments
The Canyon Fire near Rampart is at 409 acres. Crews are protecting a cabin 3 miles out — that's a hedge against the fire making a run.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
An escaped campfire grew to 89 acres near Sterling — cutting power and closing a road
An unextinguished campfire near Sterling grew to 89 acres, cut power, and closed Swanson River Road. Put out your campfires.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Five wildfires under investigation overnight in southcentral Alaska
Five wildfires broke out overnight in southcentral Alaska's Susitna basin as a Red Flag Warning takes effect Saturday, with burn permits suspended statewide.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
