There is a wildfire burning in the Montana Creek area. According to the Alaska Division of Forestry, the fire was initially reported as three acres in size. Multiple units from local fire departments as well as Division of Forestry firefighters are on-scene. According to Beth Ipsen, spokeswoman for the Alaska Division of Forestry, smokejumpers are also on the way.
At this time, we do not know the cause of the fire. We will continue to update on air and online as we find out more.
7/4 9:18 a.m.: A press conference is scheduled for later this morning regarding the Montana Creek Road fire. We expect that will be the next official update on the fire’s status.
7/3 10:27 p.m.: The public information officers have given their last update of the night, barring a significant change in the fire. This will also be our last update unless something changes.
7/3 9:09 p.m.: According to the Division of Forestry, there is a retardant line that has been dropped around ninety percent of the Montana Creek Road fire. This is an attempt to begin to begin to establish a “box” around the fire. It does not mean there is any official level of containment of the fire.
7/3 8:25 p.m.: Mat-Su Emergency Services Director Ken Barkley says the air attack on the Montana Creek Road fire has been critical. He says the tankers and other firefighting aircraft are giving crews “a fighting chance.”
7/3 7:32 p.m.: The size of the Montana Creek Fire is now estimated between 200 and 300 acres.
7/3 7:20 p.m.: The Mat-Su Borough has issued a “Level 1: Ready” evacuation alert for the Montana Creek area. This is not an evacuation order, but an alert to be ready in the event an evacuation is necessary.
7/3 6:53 p.m.: According to the Alaska Wildland Fire Map, the size of the Montana Creek Fire is now estimated at 200 acres.
7/3 6:36 p.m.: We just spoke with the incident commander. He says the latest estimate for the fire’s size is still 70 acres. Montana Creek Road is closed except to emergency vehicles. No structures have been lost to the fire at this time. In addition to the Forestry and local units currently on scene, the crews that were working the Anchorage fire are en route. The Senior Center is the official shelter point, but there is still no evacuation order. We will continue to update online and on-air into the evening.
7/3 6:29 p.m.: More information on the shelter at the Susitna Senior Center, from the Mat-Su Borough: “There is NO evacuation order in place but the doors will be open to anyone who feels uncomfortable and feels they should leave their residence.”
7/3 5:56 p.m.: Alaska State Troopers are working to minimize traffic in the Montana Creek area. They say motorists should avoid the area if possible, and should expect roadblocks on Montana Creek.
7/3 5:51 p.m.: The Talkeetna Community Emergency Response Team is deploying to the Upper Susitna Senior Center to open it as a shelter for anyone displaced by the Montana Creek fire.
7/3 5:15 p.m.: The Division of Forestry is now estimating the size of the fire at seventy acres. Baker River Hotshots are en route. This is the same hotshot crew that responded to fires in Montana Creek in 2015.
7/3 4:44 p.m.: The state division of forestry has confirmed that the size of the Montana Creek fire is thirty acres. It is located approximately 2.5 miles east of the Parks Highway, and is moving west.
7/3 4:40 p.m.: At this time, the Parks Highway is open. Access on Montana Creek Drive may be limited.
7/3 4:15 p.m.: No new information at this time. We will be updating three or more times per hour on-air as we get additional updates. Photo of smoke visible from Montana Creek courtesy of Joe Pride.
7/3 3:59 p.m: According to the Alaska Division of Forestry, the fire near Montana Creek Road was initially reported at three acres. There is a structure nearby. Smokejumpers are en route. Forestry and local firefighters are on scene.
7/3 3:40 p.m.: Talkeetna Fire Department is on-scene. Other responders are en route.
BREAKING: We have received multiple reports of a wildfire between Montana Creek Road and the Upper Susitna Senior Center. Smoke is visible from the Parks Highway. Multiple aircraft have been seen circling the area, and local firefighters are deploying. We will update as more information becomes available.
