A suspension on the use and sale of fireworks is in effect for the Kenai Peninsula Borough.
The Alaska State Fire Marshal’s Office, in cooperation with the Alaska Department of Natural Resources/Division of Forestry, is also implementing fireworks suspensions for Fairbanks North Star Borough, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Kodiak Borough, Copper River Valley, including Glennallen south to Valdez, Western Alaska, including McGrath and points west, Tanana Valley north of the Alaska Range, Northern Panhandle, including Haines in the north, Skagway, and Juneau to the south.
The suspension will remain in effect until further notice.
The decision was based on hot, dry weather and a high to very high fire danger, according to a Thursday press release from the Department of Public Safety.
“Our firefighting resources and capabilities on the ground and in the air are stretched thin,” State Fire Marshal Richard Boothby said in the release. “That combined with the weather forecast going into next week, the safety of Alaskans and visitors is paramount. The suspension of the sale and use of fireworks will assist in protecting life and property.”
Currently, 102 uncontained fires covering 273,551 acres, including the Swan Lake Fire on the Kenai Peninsula and the Shovel Creek fire outside of Fairbanks, are burning in Alaska. For wildfire updates and fire safety information, visit akfireinfo.com.
— Clarion Staff
