Wildland fire season starts; burn permits now required

Burn permits are available from the Division of Forestry Fire Prevention

The aftermath of a small grass fire off East Hill Road near Homer, Alaska is seen here on April 8, 2020. The fire was started by a discarded cigarette. (Photo by Matt James/Alaska Division of Forestry)

The aftermath of a small grass fire off East Hill Road near Homer, Alaska is seen here on April 8, 2020. The fire was started by a discarded cigarette. (Photo by Matt James/Alaska Division of Forestry)

The State Department of Natural Resources announced Friday that Alaska’s wildland fire season starts today, and that burn permits will be required on all state, municipal and private lands that don’t have a local burn permit program in place.

According to a release from DNR, burn permits are available from the Division of Forestry & Fire Prevention. Small-scale permits can be acquired online from dnr.alaska.gov/burn. At that site, information can also be found about local conditions and restrictions.

A small-scale burn is a burn of one brush pile, the use of one burn barrel, or the burning of maintained lawn, the release said. Larger burns would require a large-scale permit, which requires site inspection, additional people, water or heavy equipment. Those permits can be acquired by contacting the Division of Forestry at forestry.alaska.gov.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Brush pile burning and burn barrels are two leading causes of human-caused wildland fires, the release said. Especially as the snow is rapidly melting, dead grass can dry out and become flammable quickly.

“In April and May, most of the fires we respond to are started by some type of human activity,” Division Chief of Fire & Aviation Norm McDonald said in the release. “That means most early-season fires are preventable. If people follow the safe burning guidelines on their burn permits, we as Alaskans can help each other out and prevent unintentional wildfires.”

For more information, visit dnr.alaska.gov/burn.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

A map of the Johnson Tract Mine exploration project. Photo courtesy of the Center for Biological Diversity
Inletkeeper, partners file lawsuit against Cook Inlet gold mine

The Johnson Tract Mine is located on CIRI-owned lands inside Lake Clark National Park.

A sockeye salmon is carried from the waters of Cook Inlet on North Kenai Beach in Kenai, Alaska, during the first day of the Kenai River personal use dipnet fishery on Thursday, July 10, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai River dipnet fishery open 24 hours beginning Friday night

Per fish counts available from the department, 471,000 sockeye have been counted so far this year — with 108,000 counted on Wednesday alone.

Attorneys Eric Derleth and Dan Strigle speak to Superior Court Judge Kelly Lawson during the opening arguments of State of Alaska v. Nathan Erfurth at the Kenai Courthouse in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, July 16, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Opening arguments offered in Erfurth trial

The trial is set to continue for around two weeks, into early August.

Evacuees in Seward, Alaska, walk along Adams Street following a tsunami warning on Wednesday, July 16, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Tsunami warning canceled following 7.3 earthquake near Sand Point

An all clear was issued for Kachemak Bay communities at 1:48 p.m. by the Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Management.

The Ninilchik River on May 18, 2019, in Ninilchik, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Ninilchik River to remain closed to king salmon fishing

It was an “error in regulation” that would have opened the Ninilchik River to king salmon fishing on Wednesday.

A table used by parties to a case sits empty in Courtroom 4 of the Kenai Courthouse in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Nikiski woman sentenced to 4 years in prison for 2023 drug death

Lawana Barker was sentenced for her role in the 2023 death of Michael Rodgers.

Alaska State Troopers logo.
Seward resident arrested after Monday night police pursuit

Troopers say she led them on a high-speed chase on Kalifornsky Beach Road for around 7 miles.

Concert-goers listen to The Discopians at Concert on the Lawn on Saturday, July 12, 2025, at Karen Hornaday Park in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
‘Dancing at the end of the world’

KBBI AM 890 hosted their annual Concert on the Lawn Saturday.

Most Read

You're browsing in private mode.
Please sign in or subscribe to continue reading articles in this mode.

Peninsula Clarion relies on subscription revenue to provide local content for our readers.

Subscribe

Already a subscriber? Please sign in