Last year, Alaska had more acres burned by wildfires than any other state in the nation. Although we are well into fire season this year and not seeing the same amount of damage, it's always important to have a plan prepared to protect yourself and others from fire danger.
According to Ethan DeBauche with the Alaska division of Forestry, Alaska has seen 293 fires burn about 173,000 acres in 2020, with 121 of those fires caused by humans and the remainder caused by lightning.
"The best way to prepare for a wildfire is to create what we call defensible space around your property, the most basic step is to remove any spruce trees or any dead, flammable material within 15 feet of structures," DeBauche says, Wildfire evacuation notices come with next to no notice. So we recommend that people have what we call the 5 P's- those are people, prescription, priceless items, papers and personal needs. And have those ready to go within 5 minutes."