The Card Street fire, which held steady at 7,352 acres, gave firefighters more work on Monday as the sun came out and winds picked up.
Division of Forestry Public Information Officer Sarah Foster said the cool weather kept areas of the fire’s perimeter in check and the acreage down throughout the weekend.
“We’re definitely seeing a little bit more activity than we did yesterday,” said Division of Forestry Public Information Officer Sarah Foster. “I don’t think there will be any growth today.”
A southern finger of the fire was determined to be part of a different fire, she said, and the acreage has been adjusted. Foster said the fire is now at 25 percent containment. Crews spent the day constructing in a wide dozer line between the fire and the Sterling Highway, which is no longer threatened.
Foster said the Card Street fire’s top priority status over the last few days caused an influx of crewmembers. As the fire diminishes, resources will be shared with other fire incidents around the state, she said.
Altogether, 457 personnel, 10 fire engines and three helicopters were working on the fire Monday.
The Card Street fire is still burning hot on the ground, but not in the trees for the most part, Foster said.
Personnel working the Card Street Fire prepared early for smoke and pockets of heat. Any heat pockets found within 300 feet of any structure were extinguished immediately to decrease any chances that those burned areas will reignite, Foster said.
Enstar Natural Gas is still on track to restore service to approximately 190 customers in the Kenai Keys.
After assessing the accessibility of the area Monday morning, Communications Manager Lindsay Hobson said six personnel entered the field.
“This morning we were kind of doing our final safety checks,” Hobson said. “Now we should be in the process of going door to door along Feuding Lane and in the Kenai Keys areas restoring gas to the homes there.”
Hobson said Enstar personnel might not get to every home by the end of Monday, but that they will be working past regular hours to reach as many homes as possible. Hobson said it is important for residents to wait for Enstar personnel to restore their gas service, and that they are encouraged to call the emergency line in the event that they smell gas. The emergency line for the Kenai Peninsula is 907-262-9334.
“The power company got the power back on Saturday … so for the residents in the area, life is getting back to normal,” she said.
Enstar has announced plans to return gas service to about 190 customers by Monday afternoon. Communications Manager Lindsay Hobson said that is an early estimate, and the return of service will hinge on the status of the fire throughout the day.
“(We’re) going out and determining whether or not we can proceed as planned this morning,” Hobson said.
The Alaska Division of Forestry and State Forester banned statewide “open fires and activities which unduly increase the fire danger,” according to the Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Management. That ban remains in effect.
