U.S. Forest Service firefighters worked until 5:30 p.m. Saturday to contain a fire at Crow Point about a mile north of Eagle Beach State Park, according to a Forest Service spokesperson.
The exact cause of the fire, which was about 15.5 acres in size, is still being investigated, but the fire has been determined to be human-caused, said Paul Robbins Jr., public affairs and partnerships staff officer for the Forest Service, in a Sunday morning email.
Capital City Fire/Rescue and 911 dispatch were in contact with the Forest Service regarding the fire as of about 1:15 p.m. Saturday, according to a CCFR Facebook post.
Forest Service’s response to the fire included a jet boat with pumps and equipment, an all-terrain vehicle and a helicopter, Robbins said.
Response efforts were hampered by a person flying a drone near the fire, which Robbins said caused helicopter operations to stop for about 30 minutes.
“We ask citizens to please avoid flying their drones over active fires as it endangers pilots and hampers firefighting abilities,” Robbins said. “We also ask that people enjoying their public lands take extra precaution when putting out their campfires. The majority of wildfires in Southeast Alaska are caused by campfires that are not put out properly or started in an improper location.”
This story will be updated as more is known.
