9/3/19 07:00 am Cooper Landing & Sterling Alert Levels Reduced; Pilot Cars Gone

Effective at 7:00 a.m. Tuesday, September 3, the following alert levels will change:
  - Level 2 SET to Level 1 READY for all areas of Cooper Landing. 
  - Level 1 READY alert status for the Feuding and Adkins areas of Sterling will be removed. 

Two people working on the fire chat at the Sept 1st
morning briefing. 9-1-19 by Pegge Erkeneff​

The Great Basin Incident Management Team 1 managing the Swan Lake Fire, in coordination with the Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Management, has changed the alert levels in Cooper Landing and Sterling which is reflective of the hard work of fire crews and the recent change in weather.  The wetter conditions and cooler temperatures projected through mid-September, support this decision. 

Cooper Landing and Sterling residents should remain aware and prepared however, until a fire-season ending weather transition occurs. Fire managers say several inches of rain across all areas of the Swan Lake Fire are needed before the fire will be identified as “controlled”. 

This K-max helicopter has been working on the
Swan Lake Fire. It is optimized for external cargo
load operations, and is able to lift a payload of
over 6,000 pounds, which is more than the
helicopter's empty weight.Taken Sept 1
by Pegge Erkeneff

On the Sterling Highway, traffic will resume normal operations without pilot cars, however, drivers may continue to see them in road construction zones. Motorists are encouraged to use caution as fire-weakened trees, which can fall over, remain a hazard. Motorists should drive with headlights on at all times and be aware of fire personnel and vehicles still in the fire area. Skilak Lake Road remains closed.









Swan Lake Fire information and safety topics will be available on the KPB blog at www.kppoem.com and on Facebook @ KPBalerts. Residents can sign-up for the KPBalerts phone notification system by texting KPB to 99411, and following the prompts to register using your Borough physical address. The Office of Emergency Management continues to operate the Information Call Center from 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. at 907-262-4636 (262-INFO).