State exempts Southeast Alaska from statewide burn permit suspension

The Alaska Division of Forestry will exempt Southeast Alaska from a planned May 1 statewide burn permit suspension, as the region’s weather, fuel types, and fire history put it at less risk of wildland fire than mainland Alaska. Outdoor burning activity authorized under burn permits include the use of burn barrels and burning debris piles.

Permitted burning will be allowed in Southeast Alaska, including the City and Borough of Juneau, while burn permits in all other parts of the state will be suspended beginning May 1.

The division is suspending permitted burning in the rest of the state not only to reduce the number of human-caused fires in Alaska, which will reduce both the risk of wildfires to the public, but also to reduce the risk of potential COVID-19 exposure to first responders and those they encounter.

Read the full exemption notice from the State of Alaska.

For information about the burn permit suspension and the exemption, contact the State of Alaska Division of Forestry Public Information Officer Tim Mowry at (907) 356-5512 or [email protected].

For information about burn permits from Capital City Fire Rescue, contact CCFR Fire Marshal Daniel Jager at 586-0260 or [email protected].