In the face of a changing climate, an updated planning tool will act as Anchorage’s guide to preparing for and living with an increased wildfire risk.

Higher temperatures and longer, drier summers are becoming standard across much of the Lower 48 and in Alaska, said Stephanie Dufek of the Anchorage Fire Department. Over the last two decades, Alaska has experienced several “record setting” fire seasons, with more than 16 million acres burned since 2004, according to data from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Dufek is at the head of the municipality’s recent push to rewrite its community wildfire protection plan, which hasn’t been updated in nearly 20 years. The refresh will help residents stay prepared and make it easier for Anchorage to seek federal grants to reduce its fire risk, she said.

Approximately 82% of Anchorage falls within the wildland-urban interface, a factor that inherently increases the municipality’s wildfire risk. This is a zone in a community where homes and buildings intersperse with adjacent forests and undeveloped land.

“The sooner we can get on board with mitigating the risk to the best of our ability and learning how to be resilient, the better off we’ll be,” said Dufek, a wildland-urban interface project manager for the Anchorage Fire Department.

The plan, a collaborative project, was crafted through partnerships between the municipality and neighboring fire departments, the Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection and federal public land managers. The city hosted a town hall on Nov. 12 to kick off the public comment period, which will remain open through the end of the month.

“It’s built on the idea that protecting homes and neighborhoods from wildfire requires everyone, including municipal departments, community councils, state and federal partners and residents like you and me,” Mayor Suzanne LaFrance said during the town hall.

The report acknowledges the “growing complexity” of fire management in Alaska due to the size, frequency and severity of wildfires on the tundra and in its boreal forests.

Firefighting resources in Alaska are also finite. The state Division of Forestry is responsible for protecting more than 130 million acres of land. It can take at least 72 hours for help to arrive from the Lower 48, Dufek said.

As part of the plan, fire managers created a risk chart for Anchorage’s neighborhoods based on factors like the number of dead-end roads, the distance to the nearest fire station and the flammability of existing trees and vegetation. They also considered demographics, such as the percentage of people who may not have a vehicle, Dufek said.

Based on an “extreme” risk rating, some of the most vulnerable neighborhoods are Potter Heights, Glen Alps, Bear Valley, Stuckagain Heights and Eagle River, according to the plan.

The ratings will help the fire department determine the order to perform wildfire mitigation projects, Dufek said. The report recommends a variety of methods fire managers can use to reduce fire hazards around Anchorage.

Some of the methods are similar to those used in a project recently completed along a 3-mile stretch of Campbell Airstrip Road. The wildfire division created a fuel break by thinning the trees along the road and removed debris and vegetation on the forest floor. The access road leads to 200 homes in the Stuckagain Heights neighborhood and acts as an evacuation route.

The plan also encourages clearing near power lines that may become an ignition hazard in the case of a windstorm, the creation of defensible space around homes and permanently funding the Anchorage Fire Department’s new wildfire division.

A Delta Junction resident died Friday after being pinned by a vehicle in a crash along the Richardson Highway, Alaska State Troopers said.

Troopers were notified of a crash with one person pinned just after 8 a.m. Friday, the agency said in an online update. The crash involved a semi and a 2024 Chevrolet Silverado pickup, troopers spokeswoman Tess Williams said, and it occurred around Mile 267 of the Richardson Highway just north of Delta Junction.

First responders extricated Murphy Mackenzie, age 32, and tried administering life-saving measures, but Mackenzie — who had sustained significant injuries — was pronounced dead at the scene, troopers said. Mackenzie’s next of kin was at the scene, according to troopers.

The crash closed the highway for hours Friday “due to the investigation and complexity to remove the crashed (semi) tractor,” troopers said.

Troopers said they found no indication of impairment or foul play. The agency believes road conditions may have been a contributing factor in the crash, Williams said.

The investigation is ongoing, according to Williams.

Bethel, Alaska (KTUU) – The State of Alaska announced Friday that its West Coast Storm Operations will now transition from response to recovery efforts.

Several organizations, including Team Rubicon, will begin winding down their efforts.

Team Rubicon’s remaining volunteers will leave on Sunday after the organization spent four weeks in the region.

The veteran-led volunteer group spent several weeks coordinating donations and working on infrastructure repair and cleanup.

“There’s obviously a huge need left, and so there’s a lot of local contractors and groups that are going to be able to continue work throughout. Unfortunately Team Rubicon just is not able to do that. And so what our goal is, was two parts. One, do as much good work as we could during the four weeks that we were here. And the second part is, make sure we’re establishing a really good network,” said Jason Taylor, Team Rubicon Incident Commander.

He said he hopes the their group is invited to come back to Western Alaska in the spring to continue doing recovery work.

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