Moderate drought conditions and above-average temperatures continue in Juneau.
That has led to dry conditions and an increase in fire department calls over the past few days.
Assistant Chief Ed Quinto said Capital City Fire/Rescue responded to three incidents concerning outdoor fires in recent days.
On Friday, a controlled burn got out of hand in the Auke Lake area.
Fortunately, a man was able to put the fire out with a shovel before it reached his house, which is under construction.
“Unfortunately, he was building his house, so he didn’t have a water source,” Quinto said. “So it’s a good reminder to people having a little pit fire — always have a water source nearby.”
CCFR has also been monitoring an ongoing controlled burn at Stabler’s Point above the ferry terminal that has led to some persistent smoke in the area.
Quinto said the company responsible for the burn has a permit and is being safe.
On Sunday afternoon, crews responded to a brush fire reported near Switzer Creek.
According to Fire Marshal Dan Jager, flames scorched an area near the corner of Sunset Street and Alaska Avenue that’s about 400 feet by 400 feet.
“We had a couple of people that saw four juvenile boys running away from the area about the time they were noticing the smoke from the fire,” Jager said. “So we did an investigation on it, and we’re looking at it as an intentional set fire.”
Jager said anyone with information about the incident can contact the fire marshals at 907-586-5322.
National Weather Service Juneau forecaster Rick Fritsch said colder temperatures and rain are in the forecast later in the week.
That should help lift some of the dry conditions, but it won’t do much to alleviate the overall drought.
“This is not something we can fix in one or two months of excess rain,” Fritsch said. “We’ve been in abnormally dry or worse conditions in the Juneau area since February of 2018, so it’s been over a year.”
Fritsch said the monthly total rainfall at the Juneau International Airport in March was more than one and a half inches below normal.
Rain will move in Wednesday night and will likely persist through the weekend.
