(UPDATE at 9:25 a.m. MT, June 17, 2015)
More evacuations were ordered on Tuesday for the Card Street Fire near Sterling, Alaska 54 air miles southwest of Anchorage. Twice during the day residents were asked to leave areas threatened by the fire, with the Kenai Keys subdivision being affected late in the day as the 2,000-acre fire continued to burn aggressively since it started about 2 p.m. on Monday.
Most of the fire activity Tuesday was on the east side of the fire where it burned into the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Sprinklers have been set up around an old U.S. Forest Service guard station on Skilak Loop Road.
Air tankers dropped over 30 loads of fire retardant to protect structures dotted throughout the area as the wildfire quickly burned south towards the Kenai River. At least five structures were destroyed in the initial phase of the fire despite efforts by Alaska Division of Forestry firefighters.
Kenai forestry responded to the area with five engines and a helicopter while three local fire departments also responded to assist with structure protection. Evacuations were ordered for Fueding Lane, Aspen Street and the Kenai Keyes subdivision. The fire grew quickly and spotted across the Kenai River, causing the areas of Dow Island and Salmon Run to also be evacuated.
Firefighters positioned themselves along Funny River Road on the south side of the Kenai River to chase spot fires. Smokejumpers worked critical spots, protecting structures along the Kenai River using a boat. A park ranger also patrolled the river in a boat watching for spot fires and protecting structures. Later in the evening, a wind shift moved the fire to the east, pushing it into wetlands, which was a huge assist for firefighters protecting structures.
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(ORIGINALLY published at 10:04 a.m. MT, June 16, 2015)
The Card Street Fire is causing evacuations near Sterling, Alaska on the Kenai Peninsula 54 air miles southwest of Anchorage. This new fire is in the same general area as the 2014 Funny River Fire that burned over 190,000 acres.
First reported Monday afternoon, by evening it had burned 640 acres and was threatening 200 homes. Alaska’s Department of Natural Resources said hundreds of homes have been evacuated and six structures have burned.
