Last May a human-caused wildfire burned 25 acres of forest near homes off Eagle River Road. Residents were lucky, as crews were able to contain the blaze but that fire left behind fears that it could happen again.
Now that same group, the Pioneer Peak Hotshot Crew, is back out at the scene just below the subdivision located on Denaina Drive and Kulchay Circle working to mitigate the risk of a fire by constructing a fuel break.
It’s a strategy to improve the chances of the area surviving a wildfire.
“This isn’t going to stop a fire, it’s going to help us stop the fire,” said Kris Baumgartner, superintendent of the Pioneer Peak Hotshot Crew.