Crews

by The Associated Press Tuesday, March 16, 2010 DENALI NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE, Alaska -- Crews this week will begin plowing the park road at Denali National Park and Preserve. Crews will get to work Wednesday to begin clearing the road of snow and ice and steaming open culverts to prevent damage from runoff. Crews also will repair any damage that occurred over the winter before the road is opened to the public. The Toklat station at Mile 53 of the park road is reporting 7 inches of snow.

by The Associated Press Thursday, July 1, 2010 FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- Crews continue to clean up fuel that spilled into the Chena River following Tuesday's crane collapse. Department of Transportation spokesperson Meadow Bailey says the crane had a tank that could hold 200 gallons of fuel, but less than 50 gallons spilled into the water. The final part of the crane was pulled from the river Wednesday and taken from the construction site on the back of a tractor trailer.

by Channel 2 News staff Sunday, July 18, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- While wet conditions prevailed in Southcentral Alaska Sunday, fire crews continued to battle several wildfires in northern regions of the state. The Alaska Fire Interagency Coordination Center says about 27 firefighters and the Pioneer Peak hotshot crew are working to keep the nearly 25,000-acre Peavey Creek wildfire from crossing the Koyukuk River. The fire is about 11 miles south of Bettles, but crews say it's not a threat to the village.

by Christine Kim Wednesday, January 13, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Crews are cleaning up after nearly 143,000 gallons of diesel fuel spilled onto the Aleutian island of Adak. About 20 state, federal and contract workers are working to contain the spill. Of the amount spilled, 1,000 gallons entered a creek and went into a small boat harbor. According to the Department of Environmental Conservation, the fuel flowed from an underground storage tank to a drainage system that separates oil and water and the amount overwhelmed the system's separator.

The curtains came down on the Fireweed Theatre Thursday, as demolition crews started tearing down the structure. The theatre closed in June, after more than 45 years of showing films to Alaskans. When the Fireweed opened in 1965, it was the largest movie theater in Alaska, with seats for almost 2,000 viewers. The drive-in theater next to the main building hosted the band Kiss in the 1970s. Passers-by and long-time moviegoers stopped to reminisce about their memories of the Fireweed as it came down.

Crews will be able to temporarily re-open the Trans-Alaska pipeline Tuesday to prevent damage from cold weather. The line was closed Saturday after a crude leak at Pump Station 1. Officials hope to install a bypass pipe so the pipeline can be restarted. Alyeska says the 24-inch bypass pipe is being fabricated and welded together in Fairbanks. In the meantime, they want to start the flow up temporarily to prevent further damage that could come from the cold. One big fear about the line not being fully operational is the damage cold weather could create.

Several fire crews responded to a structure fire late Sunday afternoon in Eagle River, according to the Anchorage Fire Department. AFD had reports of blaze around 5:15 p.m. and sent 13 units to the 11000 block on Mausel St. involving a multi-residence home and mobile home. 11 people were displaced and there were no reports of injuries. Fire dispatch said crews had the scene under control shortly before 6 p.m. and were checking on a few hot spots. This is a developing story.

Overnight flooding in Butte has created a flooding situation the likes of which the town hasn't seen in more than 40 years, according to Butte Fire Department officials. The flooding has already affected four homes and one business, and emergency crews worry things could get worse this weekend. It was already too late for a few homes near the Matanuska River, as flood waters started pouring in. Some homeowners were actually going back into the waters themselves to try and save some belongings inside their home.

A Monday memorial service has been scheduled for Capt. Jeffrey Haney, who died in the Tuesday crash of his F-22 Raptor fighter. The service will take place in Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson's Hangar 1, at 11551 Slammer Avenue, at 3:25 p.m. Select friends of the family and JBER personnel are invited to attend. Wreckage recovery efforts continued Saturday at the crash site 100 miles north of Anchorage, after a crew reached the site Friday and determined that Haney was killed in the crash.

The state declared the Bitter Creek fire contained Tuesday morning, marking the end to the first significant wildfire of the season. The lightning-caused fire started on May 31 and burned about 2,256 acres near Tok before crews established a line and contained the blaze, according to Gary Lehnhausen, spokesperson with Tok Area Forestry. At its peak, there were 173 personal assigned, not including the people in the Tok-area ready to respond, and primarily consisted of Alaska-based agencies.

The state declared the Bitter Creek fire contained Tuesday morning, marking the end to the first significant wildfire of the season. The lightning-caused fire started on May 31 and burned about 2,256 acres near Tok before crews established a line and contained the blaze, according to Gary Lehnhausen, spokesperson with Tok Area Forestry. At its peak, there were 173 personal assigned, not including the people in the Tok-area ready to respond, and primarily consisted of Alaska-based agencies.

Fire fighters say they're starting to “roll into longer and more frequent wildfires,” due to the recent trend of dry conditions along with the typical lightening season, some human caused fires and a delayed “green-up.” There were 39 active wildfires as of Saturday afternoon, according to the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center. The Alaska Division of Forestry says there were more than a dozen fires in the Interior, near McGrath and Tok. “This is the time of year when we get a little thin on resources and have to prioritize,” said Norm McDonald, Fire Management Officer with AK Division of Forestry, Mat-Su Area.

A few days after Memorial Day, construction crews began work on resurrecting the fallen Veterans flagpole on the park strip, which was knocked over in last year's windstorms, on I Street in between 9th Ave and 10th Ave. The Anchorage Parks and Recreation Service already has nine projects ongoing, including the flagpole project and fixing up the historic Engine 556 on the corner at 9th Ave and E St.   Holes were spotted in the train about five...

Anchorage firefighters are investigating a fire at a Midtown coffee stand early Tuesday morning, this month's second suspicious blaze at a local food-service establishment with indications of burglary beforehand. According to Anchorage Fire Department spokesperson Al Tamagni Jr., a passerby called crews to the Sugar Shack coffee stand at 3720 Lake Otis Pkwy. at about 4:04 a.m. While 12 AFD units were initially dispatched to the fire, Anchorage police were among the first responders.

Spring has sprung in Anchorage and now the potholes can be seen everywhere. The Department of Transportation (DOT) and the city's maintenance crews are working together to repair damaged roads around town. Mayor Dan Sullivan says Anchorage has more than 1,400 miles of roads to inspect and repair. According to the DOT, olders pavement tends to have more potholes than newer pavement. Drivers are encouraged to report hazardous potholes in the Anchorage area by calling the Pothole Hotline at (907)

The Municipality of Anchorage has crews out sweeping up gravel left over from the winter nearly 24-hours a day and crews could still on the streets for another eight weeks, according to Street Maintenance Foreman Paul Vanlandingham. He says approximately 10,000 pounds of gravel was scattered on city streets, to give drivers traction, and now they have to pick it all up. Vanlandingham says it's a big task and mother nature isn't helping.  "The last snowfall we got here a couple weeks ago put us back 10 days to a couple weeks but we are in full sweep mode now," said Vanlandingham.

The Anchorage Fire Departmernt responded to a home engulfed in flames in South Anchorage Monday night. AFD received calls around 10:00 p.m. to the 3100 block of Rosalind Loop. Crews managed to contain the blaze around 10:45 p.m. There were no injuries reported and the extent of the damage was not immediately known, nor was the cause of the fire. AFD dispatch the single-family home may have extensive roof damage based on initial reports. Fire crews remained on scene Monday night as of 11:00 p.m. This is a developing story.

The recent meltdown of snow has created numerous issues. The thaw-and-freeze cycle breaks up asphalt, so the potholes are getting larger. Water is "ponding" because there is no place for the runoff to go. Many storm drains around the city are clogged with ice and miscellaneous debris. Crews are working over the next two weeks to remedy the problem, but until then, motorists and pedestrians will need to be cautious of large cracks and holes where the roads are dry and of areas of deep water at intersections and in neighborhoods.

As the streets continue to thaw out, drivers will try to dodge those pesky potholes. Street maintenance crews are working on removing snow from the streets and unclogging storm drains, so the water can flow through. The Municipality of Anchorage has 1,400 miles of roads to maintain, but officials say they do rely on the public's help to point out the trouble spots. If you see a pothole, the Muni encourages you to call the pothole hotline at 343-MEND (6363). Crews aim to have it repaired within 24 hours of the report.

Anchorage firefighters say an apartment fire early Monday morning -- the second recently involving a vacant building in a two-block area of Muldoon -- is considered suspicious and under investigation. Nearly a dozen fire crews responded to the fire at 8201 Duben Ave. after a 911 call at 2:14 a.m. according to AFD spokesperson Al Tamagni. Brian Balega, a fire investigator with the department, says none of the usual causes of residential fires in occupied buildings were present during Monday's blaze.