Firefighters are making progress in fighting the Sunrise Fire in the Meadow Lakes area North of Wasilla. Fire information officer Norm McDonald says the fire is 60% contained. Crews will stay on the fire for the next couple of days for mop up operations.
The blaze covers 30 acres. About 70 people are working on the fire, 30 from the state division of forestry and the others from local fire departments.
McDonald says reports that the fire started at an unofficial target range are under investigation at this time.
There is little change in the fire since Wednesday night. The fire erupted Wednesday afternoon, and was spotted by a pilot. Erratic winds and extremely dry conditions helped push it to its present size. No residences are threatened by the blaze.
McDonald says weather in the fire area is good and winds are calm at this time, although they may pick up later in the day.
APTI Reporter-Producer Ellen Lockyer started her radio career in the late 1980s, after a stint at bush Alaska weekly newspapers, the Copper Valley Views and the Cordova Times. When the Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound, Valdez Public Radio station KCHU needed a reporter, and Ellen picked up the microphone.
Since then, she has literally traveled the length of the state, from Attu to Eagle and from Barrow to Juneau, covering Alaska stories on the ground for the AK show, Alaska News Nightly, the Alaska Morning News and for Anchorage public radio station, KSKA
elockyer (at) alaskapublic (dot) org | 907.550.8446 | About Ellen
