This will be going on a long time, I suspect...

UPDATE: One lane of the Sterling Highway to open

Swan lake fire near road.

By Austin Sjong | Posted: Tue 12:14 AM, Aug 20, 2019 | Updated: Tue 10:00 AM, Aug 20, 2019

ANCHORAGE (KTUU) - Update
Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities says one lane of the Sterling Highway from MP 53 to MP 77 will open at 10 AM to allow 50 cars through at a time via pilot car, starting from the Sterling side.

For updates on road conditions, Check 511.alaska.gov or you can tune in on your radio to 105.3.

Original Story
Swan lake fire on Sterling highway from MP 53 to MP 77 Flames next to road, air quality poor, road closure, emergency vehicles on road, travel is not advised.

Delays Along Sterling Hwy Continue. Both lanes of traffic between Adkins Rd (MP77) and the intersection of Resurrection Pass Trail (MP53) remain halted.

Fire activity and the related smoke impacts are expected to continue for some time. The hwy will remain closed through the night and into Tuesday.

The Troopers are escorting local traffic to their homes. Free camping in the City of Soldotna is available at Centennial and Swiftwater for stranded motorists. The rodeo grounds are available for individuals with livestock or other animals.

https://www.ktuu.com/content/news/Wildfire-on-STERLING-HIGHWAY-from-MP-53-to-MP-77-555803721.html

Forgot the link

Just as they demobed everything.

Anything worth doing twice is worth doing half-assed!

We had 3 Hotshot crews from CA show up yesterday to pick up their rides. They were headed to Soldotna.

The irony is that when it got snuffed considerably by the rains a month ago, it was reported it was done unless there was another long, dry, hot spell.

Guess what?

Map is 24 hours old. Last Friday it was ~ 103K acres. Its now over 138K.

So rather than getting a crew or two on it they waited...

There were crew(s) working on it. We saw choppers dropping water on the hot spots north of Jean Lake a couple weeks ago. Just in the draw down phase I guess.

No one could guess there would be 40+ mph gusts.

And the road is closed again...

Probably will be closed most/every morning with finally cooler temps. We had 38* at the house this morning. Clear enough to allow traffic as temps rise through the day.

Road reopens 12 noon today. I'll go check it out. Gonna be a looooooooong, slow ride to Anchorage. Taking the camper truck instead of the Expedition. Shipping the wife off to Spain.

I might (WILL!) have to pee, there in line. Or somewhere.......

Hope you took a mask!

Pics from Monday in the link below. (need to figure out how to post photos!) Six minutes late leaving the cabin in Sterling Sunday morning. They shut the road down five minutes ahead of us!!

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/galleries/14067922/swan-lake-fire

My pee don't stink... But the inside of the camper sure does! Of smoke. Never used the head.

Sections around CL had 75 yard vis, with smolders both sides of road on the flats. That white truck 100 yards in front of me would just disappear like magic at times.

Actually the trip time was not greatly extended going up- it was coming back, when a normal 2.5 hour trip went to 4, due to night construction delays.

The 5 mo old Dachshund is traumatized: "GO BACK. TURN AROUND! WE LEFT MOM!" , coming off Hillsidel to Muldoon, at fuel stop in Girdwood, and 2 pee stops thence to home, arriving at 12:30 am.

I am a mean, cold-hearted bastard. I had to laugh...every time.

She is headed to Spain with her good friend Linda Saito, with whom we became acquainted in Kotz. I'd met Link a couple times in passing up there, but had a very good 4 hour visit and dinner this evening at their Hillside retiree home before heading home. (NICE! - my guess is north of 1.5M, but I bet they got it for considerably less during the housing crash. Link is a sharp guy - for all his Japanese heritage, he's a pretty good Jew.... that's complementary, not racist... ) Heck of a guy.

Son Brandon is ADFG biologist in Kotz. I worked at Ak Air there with his wife for a couple years.

OK- so we went up a day too early. My wife doesn't do schedules too well (or for that matter locations and directions) - they leave TOMORROW on a red-eye... but heck - the road may be smoke-closed then anyway....

LOL.
Never a dull moment!

Yeah, the two of us are walking amusement park.....

Came back from the Palmer fair this morning. Took longer to get from Kenai Lake bridge to Soldotna than from Palmer to Cooper Landing. The road was open at 1030 hours when we came through but the smoke was worse than bad.

Noticed some flames along the road by the Kelly Peterson lakes and (don't ya know) it seems they closed the road again only a couple of hours after we passed as the fire flared up in that area.

Wasn't unbearable driving at 15 miles an hour (visibility low) as we put the air con on and had all the vents off with the fan on maximum. Had a small opening in the wing that kept much out of the cab as the interior pressure was greater then incoming atmosphere.

Would not want to do that trip again anytime soon though. Once you start out you are rather committed...

Golly, sounds like a swell time!

Im seeing these planes over my house quite a bit today.

I wanted to go fishing but decided it wasn't worth that hassle again.
Stayed home and got some fish canned and yard work done instead. hopefully I'll be able to get down there this weekend. Those silvers need killing.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2224252174532006

Swan lake fire video.

Does not take much math to realize a single lane pilot car set-up at 15mph on a 27 mile closed stretch makes for a long slow trip!

Really smart move!

[align:center][/align]UPDATE: Cooper Landing now at "Set" alert

Things just took that turn to the really serious side of things. If Coopers Landing burns the fools that did not get instantly back on that fire should catch some real heat.

Photo courtesy Jan Powers

By Mike Ross | Posted: Mon 8:56 PM, Aug 26, 2019 | Updated: Mon 9:03 PM, Aug 26, 2019

ANCHORAGE, Alaska Fire officials Monday night raised the evacuation alert for the Cooper Landing area to "LEVEL 2: SET". Previously, the alert level was at "ready".

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Management posted this bulletin on it's web page Monday evening at 7:45 p.m.:

"The Swan Lake Fire area near Cooper Landing has become increasingly active today crossing Resurrection Pass Trail at Slaughter Ridge. The Great Basin Incident Management Team which is managing the fire, in coordination with the Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Management, has changed the evacuation alert to LEVEL 2 (SET) in all areas of Cooper Landing MP 46-54. A Level 2 (SET) Evacuation is NOT a notice to leave. This notice means that you must be ready and prepared to leave at a moment’s notice. A Level 2 (SET) signifies that there is significant danger in your area. Get SET by loading your 6 P’s: People, Pets, Pills, Photos, Personal (computer back-up info), and important Papers and a 7-day kit into your vehicle. You may have time to gather necessary items, however remember you must be prepared and ready to relocate. You may want to leave at Level 2 (SET) if you need additional time to relocate family members with mobility issues or to relocate pets, livestock and large mobile vehicles such as RVs, ATVs or boats. If you need extra time; don’t wait to leave."


The Alaska Division of Forestry issued this notice Monday night:
"The Sterling Highway is now closed at the Y at the intersection of the Sterling Highway and the Seward Highway to allow people leaving Cooper Landing to get out. Cooper Landing is at SET. This is not a notice to leave, but those Cooper Landing residents that choose to leave should head to Anchorage or Seward.All drivers near milepost 71 (Watson Lake) should turn around and head back to Soldotna. Two helicopters are working the fire with a third coming. It’s too smoky for fixed wing to fly. Air attack is up trying to get eyes on the fire."

This is a developing story. Check Channel 2 News and KTUU.com for updates.

=68.ARCPXqMfp8girIobi8jv1qORX7JySLx..._w8QwjBz5MQrUZ-rQEU&__tn__=-y.g]!!!!

This is not looking good at all... another update last night seemed to cancel all school activities. I will go look for it. I heard it on the radio.

'UPDATE: Cooper Landing now at "Set" alert

Photo courtesy Jan Powers

By Mike Ross | Posted: Mon 8:56 PM, Aug 26, 2019 | Updated: Mon 10:57 PM, Aug 26, 2019

ANCHORAGE, Alaska UPDATE 10:45 pm:

From the KPB School District:

"School is cancelled at Cooper Landing School on Tuesday, August 27, 2019.Effective August 26, 2019, until further notice: KPBSD student activity related travel between Sterling and Cooper Landing on Sterling Highway between MP 45-71 is cancelled until further notice.
Local air quality and predictions will determine if OUTDOOR activities and athletics at or hosted by KPBSD schools are restricted. School administrators will determine if recess, outdoor classroom activities, and sports practice will take place based on Air Quality conditions in their immediate area. Cancellations or restrictions may happen if conditions change rapidly."

Original story:

Fire officials Monday night raised the evacuation alert for the Cooper Landing area to "LEVEL 2: SET". Previously, the alert level was at "ready".

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Management posted this bulletin on it's web page Monday evening at 7:45 p.m.:

"The Swan Lake Fire area near Cooper Landing has become increasingly active today crossing Resurrection Pass Trail at Slaughter Ridge. The Great Basin Incident Management Team which is managing the fire, in coordination with the Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Management, has changed the evacuation alert to LEVEL 2 (SET) in all areas of Cooper Landing MP 46-54. A Level 2 (SET) Evacuation is NOT a notice to leave. This notice means that you must be ready and prepared to leave at a moment’s notice. A Level 2 (SET) signifies that there is significant danger in your area. Get SET by loading your 6 P’s: People, Pets, Pills, Photos, Personal (computer back-up info), and important Papers and a 7-day kit into your vehicle. You may have time to gather necessary items, however remember you must be prepared and ready to relocate. You may want to leave at Level 2 (SET) if you need additional time to relocate family members with mobility issues or to relocate pets, livestock and large mobile vehicles such as RVs, ATVs or boats. If you need extra time; don’t wait to leave."


The Alaska Division of Forestry issued this notice Monday night:
"The Sterling Highway is now closed at the Y at the intersection of the Sterling Highway and the Seward Highway to allow people leaving Cooper Landing to get out. Cooper Landing is at SET. This is not a notice to leave, but those Cooper Landing residents that choose to leave should head to Anchorage or Seward.All drivers near milepost 71 (Watson Lake) should turn around and head back to Soldotna. Two helicopters are working the fire with a third coming. It’s too smoky for fixed wing to fly. Air attack is up trying to get eyes on the fire."

This is a developing story. Check Channel 2 News and KTUU.com for updates.

Incredibly dangerous situation.

And all because they were in a rush to stop a grass fire somewhere...

I hope the new decision-makers do a better job.

They probably figured the fire was pretty much done and would only smolder until snowfall. Of course a month ago nobody expected 24-30 hours of 40 mph winds blowing it to habitation.

There is a third chopper coming. Ironically there were three here until they were used to pull pumps, hoses, and other equipment. Hopefully the smoke level drops to where fixed wing can be used. It needs more than choppers can drop.

I read that there were firing operations being done yesterday to consume fuels to protect the highway. I hope that didn’t get out of control.

Most government run back burns backfire!

Not that I know a lot.... about fires... but sometimes you have to take a SWAG. Pull off to stop a small fire that you can stop right now, to prevent it from becoming huge also. And sometimes that bites you in the tail.

Its pretty easy to armchair stuff like that.

Fire can change so quick. I've had it do, to me, unreal, unexpected things and things that scare the pee out of you at the time.

I'm thankful for all first responders and for the job they do and I realize even fire folks could make a mistake.

Last perfect person in this world they nailed to a tree per my reading.

RE 24-30 hours of wind... I'd swear up here we had about 48-72 hours of that stupid wind about that time.

Crown Point fire cause!

Y at Tern lake is closed to the Sterling hwy. to help CL residents evac.

Back burns are best in non populated areas and prior to controlled burns. And those have to have perfect conditions to light up and can still get away.

Sometimes I think fire folks up higher have seen the data on back burns, and feel they have to use it, while they've never actually used it in the conditions at hand. Trick it can be for sure.

I don't like back burns at all. And while I always carry a couple of lighters in case I have to create a safer space for me, things would have to be perfect in my mind to try back burns. Condtions can change just way to quickly IMHO

Whatever happens, the next 50 years is going to be pretty safe in that area.

good time to buy!

Just before sunset tonight, 5 fire planes (I presume) came over, headed for the barn. Looks like they got some work in today.

Heard Princess Lodge evacuated. Pretty smoky on the west side here.

Finally found a recent fire map of reasonable resolution.

Where the fire crossed res trail is the two miles between trout and Juneau lakes.

FYI:

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/6387/50671/#