Crews defend cabin as 52-acre wildfire burns southwest of Talkeetna

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Firefighters worked Wednesday to contain a remote wildfire southwest of Talkeetna after aircraft slowed its growth Tuesday and helped crews reach the fireline, according to the Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection.

The Yenlo Fire was reported Tuesday by a passing pilot about 41 miles southwest of Talkeetna and 14 miles north of Skwentna, forestry officials said. The fire was estimated at 52 acres after initially being observed at about 20 acres.

A helitack crew from Palmer Area Forestry located the fire and began dropping water on it from a helicopter. Officials said the fire was burning in grass, brush, scattered spruce and standing dead spruce, with some trees torching individually.

A nearby cabin and heavy equipment were in the fire’s path, and helitack firefighters worked to protect them as the fire moved through the area, officials said.

The aerial response included two single-engine water-scooping aircraft, a retardant tanker and an air attack aircraft to coordinate operations. Alaska smokejumpers and the Pioneer Peak Hotshot Crew were also sent to the fire. Another helicopter was dispatched from Fairbanks to help move crews and equipment from Talkeetna to the incident.

Firefighters worked until midnight Tuesday cutting sawline, installing pumps and building hose lays. By Wednesday, crews had built sawline around about 25% of the fire’s perimeter, officials said.

Thirty-four firefighters camped overnight at a safe distance from the fire before returning to the fireline Wednesday. Crews were expected to continue cutting sawline and building hose lays throughout the day, with helicopter support for water drops and equipment shuttles from Talkeetna.

Forestry officials said an unstable weather pattern was expected to move into the western Susitna Valley, bringing afternoon showers and isolated wet thunderstorms. Temperatures were forecast to reach the upper 60s, with overnight lows in the lower 40s. The pattern was expected to continue through the end of the week.

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