Parks Hwy closed north of Anchorage AK - WILDFIRE-June 14

I have been trying to remember how long it has been since this area of the state burned. The Alaska forest burn about every 40 years from what I have read, some places more often and others less. SE Alaska, being it is a rain forest doesn't have forest fires so about the only place to harvest marketable sized timber.

Most Alaska forest fires are started by lightning strikes in the summer time. The majority of them are just allowed to burn themselves out, if towns or property of value is not involved. Along the highways and near urban areas many of the fires are started by humans, in one way or the other.
The policy of the BLM, Bureau of Land Management, is normally not to hire fire crews from close to the fires, too much temptation for some not to help get summer jobs going for themselves. I read that one of the Hot Shot fire crews is from Chena, up by Fairbanks.

12:30 a.m. , June 15 – The fast-moving Sockeye Fire, burning along the Parks Highway in the Willow area, is now estimated at 6,500 acres. The evacuation area has been expanded to cover the area from Milepost 63 to 77, and from three miles east of the Parks Highway and west to the Susitna River.

The Parks Highway remains closed from Milepost 66 through 77. The Alaska Division of Forestry, Department of Transportation, and Alaska State Troopers are working together to reopen the highway as quickly as possible.

Read more at:
http://akfireinfo.com/

After the non-winter that Southcentral had, it's going to be a pretty grim fire season in the Southern region of AK this year. :(

I'm in Palmer and have seen some air tankers flying out. Also heard a lot of fire equipment going by earlier. The news photos show a lot of RVs stuck waiting on the highway. Hope everyone is OK. Willow has lots of dog teams.

It's now at 1800 acres.