Fire near North Pole nearly contained following aggressive attack

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) - A wildfire off Brock Road near North Pole has nearly been contained. According to Division of Forestry Public Information Officer Tim Mowry, the fire was reported Sunday afternoon and quickly grew from a half acre to over 20 acres.

The Fire was burning in black spruce about a quarter mile from people’s houses but was moving away from the dwellings. Mowry says the state responded quickly with aircraft and firefighters. By the end of Sunday there were four water scoopers and two retardant aircraft, as well as helicopters attacking the fire from the air. There were also 70 firefighters assigned to the fire.

Mowry said the fire was able to be knocked down and they have around 95% containment.

Officials suspect the fire was human caused and say it is a good reminder to be careful.

Mowry told us, “We’ve got Fourth of July coming up this weekend and so there is going to be a lot of people out and about. Obviously fireworks are a concern. We ask people to avoid using fireworks. Wait until it’s dark and they can appreciate them more, and it’s much less of a fire hazard.”

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