Jun. 1996 Miller’s Reach Fire
The Miller’s Reach Fire, or the Big Lake fire, burned nearly 37,000 acres
and destroyed more than 380 homes and businesses in the Big Lake-Houston
area, which is apart of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. The fire started on 6/2
and was nearly contained until 40mph winds revitalized the blaze on 6/3. The fire
quickly spread, increasing from 1,500 acres to 10,000 acres all within 24hrs on
6/4, and forced over 1,800 to evacuate. Cooler temperatures and humidity, along
with the help from over 1,300 firefighters from Alaska and the Lower 48, calmed
the flames on 6/7.12 By 6/10, the fire was contained and by 6/15, the fire was
considered under control. Gov. Tony Knowles declared the fire an emergency on
6/4 and this freed up $14M in state and federal relief funds.3 This disaster totaled
$9.35M (individual assistance totaled $1.87 million for 425 applicants, public
assistance totaled $5.1 million for 7 applicants, and hazard mitigation totaled
$1.75 million)4. Though this is a significant cost, and estimated $58.8M was
either saved by firefighters or out of the way of the fire’s path.5 With inflation, the
$9.35M disaster would have cost $14.2M in 2014.6
Citation
Authorities evacuate 500
from path; flames
consume Twin Lake
cabin. Anchorage Daily
News (AK)- June 4,
1996. Author(s): Rachel
D’Oro, S.J. Komarnitsky,
Stan Jones. Page(s): A1, A-8.
Details
 Powerful, gusty north winds
kicked up the Houston-area fire
into a 1,500-acre blaze. The fire
spread dangerously close to
homes on 6/3 and forced people
to leave their homes.
 About 500 people were
evacuated late in the day on 6/3
from Beaver Lakes, Horseshoe,
Meadow woods, and Miller’s
Reach.
 No injuries reported.
 One Twin Lake cabin was
completely burned.
 The fire was nearly controlled on
6/3 until 40mph winds revitalized
it.
 Officials worried about power
outages in Anchorage and the
Southcentral.
1
Wildfire contained at Big Lake. The Juneau Empire (AK)- June 11, 1996. Author(s): Jim Clarke; The Associated Press. Page(s): 1, 8.
2
Inferno. Anchorage Daily News (AK)- June 9, 1996. Page(s): A-7, A-8. [list compiled by Don Hunter].
3
Inferno rages; crews no match. Anchorage Daily News (AK)- June 5, 1996. Author(s): Steve Rinehart, Natalie Phillips, Stan Jones. Page(s): A-1, A-12.
4
NWS Alaska Region internal compilation.
5
Clouds help, wind hurts. Anchorage Daily News (AK)- June 8, 1996. Author(s): David Hulen, Natalie Phillips, Steve Rinehart; Daily News reporter. Page(s): A-1.
6
CPI Inflation Calculator. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Dep. Of Labor. http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm
File
Scan0004,
Scan0005



Inferno rages; crews no
match. Anchorage Daily
News (AK)- June 5,
1996. Author(s): Steve
Rinehart, Natalie Phillips,
Stan Jones. Page(s): A1, A-12.









About 100 firefighters fought the
blaze on 6/4 that stretched from
the Little Susitna River on the
north to Beaver Lakes on the
south.
By 11pm on 6/4, the blaze
crossed Big Lake Road and
firefighters had to retreat after the
equipment was in thick smoke.
The Red Cross set up a shelter at
the elementary school but then
relocated to the high school as
the fire spread. Eight people had
checked in by midnight.
The Big Lake fire burned for a
Scan0006,
second day on 6/4, burning
Scan0007
homes and businesses, and
forcing people to flee with
whichever possessions they could
bring.
By 6/4, the fire had burned across
at least 10,000 acres and was
now headed for Goose Bay. Only
24 hours earlier it had been a
1,500-acre fire.
An estimated 50 to 100 homes
have already been destroyed.
The fire was burning so hot that
even birch trees were burning;
they are usually fire-resistant.
There was no rain in the forecast
for the coming days but the strong
wind was supposed to die down.
By the evening on 6/4, no major
injuries had been reported.
Officials declared the fire a “typeone” blaze, which meant very
threatening to people and
property.
Gov. Tony Knowles declared
Houston and the Mat-Su Borough
a disaster area, freeing up $14M
in state and federal relief funds.
On 6/4, roughly 200 firefighters
were batting the flames, and on
6/5 about 450 firefighters worked.

Smoke puts city on air
quality alert. Anchorage
Daily News (AK)- June 5,
1996. Author(s): Sonya
Senkowsky, Daily News
reporter. Page(s): B-1, B3.

500 flee flames.
Frontiersman (AK)- June
5, 1996. Author(s): Paul
Stuart; Frontiersman
reporter. Page(s): A1,
A10.




Fire cuts new paths of
waste. Anchorage Daily
News (AK)- June 6,
1996. Author(s): David
Hulen, Natalie Phillips,
Helen Jung; Daily News


There were five water-bucket
helicopters, 40 fire trucks, two
retardant planes, and dozens of
smoke jumpers.
By the evening on 6/4, 250
people were staying in the
emergency center at Wasilla High
School.
By the night of 6/4, the pollution
level in Anchorage exceeded
federal air quality standards, so a
health alert was made for those
with health problems to stay
indoors.
The particles from the fire are fine
and travel long distances through
the air, and can get lodged deep
into the lungs.
As of 6/4, no one had been killed
by the fire. Though, at least one
firefighter sustained injuries from
a falling tree. Others were treated
for smoke inhalation.
Between 400 to 600 state fire
emergency personnel and
National Guard troops were
commissioned to assist in
protecting property and facilitating
evacuations. This was done after
Gov. Knowles declared the fire a
state of emergency.
The Matanuska Electric
Association crews shut down
power in the area at the request
of the state Division of Forestry.
Power was disrupted to 1,600
residents in the Houston and Big
Lake areas. By the morning of
6/4, this number was reduced to
450.
As of 6/5: an estimated 37,000
acres were burned, 700 Mat-Su
residents were evacuated, and
there were 1,200 firefighters now
working.
The forecast was dry and warm
Scan0010,
Scan0011
Scan0044,
Scan0045
Scan0012,
Scan0017
reporters. Page(s): A-1,
A-12.













Fill buckets, firefighters

with light winds.
250 dwellings burned from the fire
as of 6/5.
The fire had tripled in size from
sunup until late afternoon.
Flames were easily jumping roads
and ponds.
The fire crossed the Parks
Highway in two locations and
evacuations for the Houston area
followed.
Winds pushed the fire through
thick, dry spruce and birch trees
with gusts more than 30mph from
the north and southeast for much
of the day. This wind made
planes spraying fire retardant
ineffective.
The fire produced a thick haze
that hung over anchorage and the
Susitna Valley on 6/5.
Heavy north winds early in the
week pushed the fire southwest,
but by 6/5 it was so huge that it
was spreading out in every
direction. The burn area on 6/5
was 56-square miles.
Smoke rose up 15,000ft into the
sky.
At one point on 6/5, the fire
moved 4mi in 2hrs.
More than 80 Alaska State
Troopers and dozens of National
Guard troops barricaded roads
leading into evacuated areas.
Investigators think fireworks may
have started the fire.
On 6/5, at 8:30am the fire
covered 11,000 acres. By 12pm,
it covered 30,000 acres. By the
early evening it was 37,000 acres.
Crews’ main goals were
preventing the fire from spreading
eastward into Wasilla from Big
Lake.
The Anchorage Fire Department
Scan0018,
warn city. Anchorage
Daily News (AK)- June 6,
1996. Author(s): Danielle
Stanton; Daily News
reporters. Page(s): B-1,
B-3.
Big Lake can’t get
converge. Anchorage
Daily News (AK)- June 6,
1996. Author(s): Dwayne
Atwood; Daily News
reporters. Page(s): D-1,
D-8.
Lower 48 sends
reinforcements to halt
advance toward Wasilla.
The Daily News-Miner
(AK)- June 6, 1996.
Author(s): Jim Clarke.
Page(s): A1, A7.

Fire slows down.
Anchorage Daily News
(AK)- June 7, 1996.
Author(s): Steve
Rinehart, Natalie Phillips,
David Hulen; Daily News
reporters. Page(s): A-1,
A-14.








Hot shots hit the front
lines. Anchorage Daily
News (AK)- June 7,
1996. Author(s): Robert
Meyerowitz; Daily News


warned on 6/5 the potential for a
city-wide wildfire to breakout.
They urged residents to load up
on containers of water, to clear
brush within 35 to 70ft of homes,
and to identify more than one
road out of the area in case of a
fire.
Insurance companies have
stopped issuing new home
insurance policies for residents in
the Big Lake-area while the blaze
continues to spread and consume
homes.
Scan0019
The fire grew in size from 17
square miles to more than 56 late
in the day on 6/5.
Firefighters worked to prevent the
fire from spreading to Wasilla,
which was 10mi from the blazes.
One-third of the homes in Big
Lake were damaged or
destroyed, but the damage was
spotty.
As of 6/6: an estimated 36,000
acres were burned, 500 take
shelter with Red Cross, and there
were 1,300 firefighters now
working.
The forecast was cloudy and
cooler with chance of rain.
The fire is expected to be
contained by 6/10, but controlled
within two weeks.
There had not been any new
structure losses in the past 24hrs
on 6/6.
Official estimates ranged from
250 to 350 structures lost in the
blaze.
More than 200 elite firefighters,
Hot Shots, arrived to help with
putting out the flames. Another
100 were expected to come.
They worked through the night on
Scan0062,
Scan0063
Scan0020,
Scan0021
Scan0022
Scan0997
Scan0024
reporter. Page(s): A-9.
Big Lake fire destruction
assessed. The Juneau
Empire (AK)- June 7,
1996. Author(s): David
Germain; The
Associated Press.
Page(s): 1, 8.

Phone companies work
to keep lines open.
Anchorage Daily News
(AK)- June 7, 1996.
Author(s): Bruce Melzer;
Daily News reporter.
Page(s): A-10.

Big Lake fire under
control; Kenai blaze
breaks out. The Daily
News-Miner (AK)- June
8, 1996. Author(s): David
Germain; Associated
Press Writer. Page(s):
A1, A10.

Clouds help, wind hurts.
Anchorage Daily News
(AK)- June 8, 1996.
Author(s): David Hulen,
Natalie Phillips, Steve
Rinehart; Daily News
reporter. Page(s): A-1, A9.







6/5 to contain burning to the south
side of the Parks Highway. It was
the first successful fire line since
the blaze spread Monday.
By the morning of 6/7, the fire
was 15% contained. The damage
is estimated at $5.6M. An
estimated 216 structures have
been damaged.
President Clinton approved
emergency disaster funding to
provide fire victims up to $10K for
homeowner repairs and up to
$12.9K for temporary housing.
Phone companies serving the
Mat-Su valleys have been trying
to keep phone lines working
because of the flood of calls
created by the Big Lake fire.
Phone traffic had been so heavy
that nearly 44,000 calls were
unable to be connected.
Firefighters finally were getting
the upper hand on the fire on 6/7
because of clammy air. Crews
hacked down trees and scrubbed
growth to encircle the 65-squaremile fire in the Susitna Valley
30mi north of Anchorage.
Another fire broke out on 6/7 on
the Kenai Peninsula near
Tustumena Lake. It has spread to
10,000 acres. The Mayor called a
local disaster emergency for the
area.
As of 6/7: an estimated 37,760
acres were burned, there were
1,372 firefighters now working,
and at least 344 buildings worth
$8.8M were destroyed.
An additional 18 properties were
damaged but not destroyed.
The forecast called for rain and
15mph winds.
Colder temperatures helped to
settle the fire down, but winds
Scan0074,
Scan0075
Scan0025
Scan0064,
Scan0065
Scan0027,
Scan0029










caused flare-ups through the 57suare-mile burn area.
The fire was only partially
contained and a long way from
being controlled.
Another fire started about 100mi
south of the existing fire, in the
Kenai Peninsula.
On 6/7, President Clinton
declared the Mat-Su wildfire a
federal disaster. This made
federal assistance available for
hundreds of people who lost
homes and businesses.
No more building burned on 6/7.
Buildings on 934 parcels, worth
$58.8M, were either saved by
firefighters or weren’t in the fire’s
path.
Southwest winds, with gusts up to
20mph, off the Cook Inlet fueled a
string of slow-moving fires along
its southern flank and threatening
dwellings in several subdivisions.
An estimated 1,800 people have
been evacuated.
The firefighters have been
working with bulldozer operators
to plow and dig containment lines
around the fire’s perimeter. They
also extinguished hundreds of
smoldering patches left in the
fire’s wake.
Nine helicopters dumped buckets
of water and five airplanes
dumped tons of chemical fire
retardant, which was impossible
days earlier because of high
winds. Private planes interfered
with these flight operations and so
no planes were allowed below
5,000ft within a 10mi radius of the
Big Lake air navigation station.
More than 40,000 gallons of flame
retardant had been dropped on
Big Lake-area.
‘Take it down.’
Anchorage Daily News
(AK)- June 9, 1996.
Author(s): S.J.
Komarnitsky, Natalie
Phillips, Steve Rinehart;
Daily News reporter.
Page(s): A-1.





Inferno. Anchorage Daily
News (AK)- June 9,
1996. Page(s): A-7, A-8.
[list compiled by Don
Hunter].




As of 6/8: the estimated burn area
was 37,300 acres and the fire had
been 60% contained with no new
flare-ups.
The forecast was warmer, with
light wind, and light rain.
Firefighters gained the upper
hand on the fire on 6/8.
Officials hoped to let hundreds of
evacuees back to the area on
6/10.
Cooler temperatures and light rain
on 6/8 helped to suppress flames.
6/2: the fire starts around 5pm in
a path of black spruce at Mile 59
of the Parks Highway and quickly
spreads west towards the Little
Susitna River. Fire retardant is
dropped on the blaze and by
nighttime, fire crews think it is
partially contained.
6/3: the fire is revitalized the
afternoon of 6/3 because of
40mph winds. It ignites a narrow
chain of black spruce that runs
from Houston through the Big
Lake area. By 7:30pm the fire is
out of control and 500 people are
evacuated.
6/4: the fire continues, burning
homes and businesses in a
funnel-shaped area from Houston
south past Big Lake. About 200
firefighters were working. In
24hrs, the blaze had grown from
1,500 acres to more than 10,000
acres and is in several directions.
Firefighters could not save the
iconic Klondike Inn.
6/5: the fire spreads in every
direction and torched 250 homes,
cabins, and businesses. The fire
tripled in size. The fire zone
covers 37,000 acres. The fire was
expected to get bigger because of
30mph winds, and flame retardant
Scan0030
Scan0999
Scan0031,
Scan0032,
Scan0033,


Even when doused and
buried, blaze may stay
alive. Anchorage Daily
News (AK)- June 9,
1996. Author(s): Doug
O’Harra. Page(s): A-1, A9.





could not be used because of the
winds. It is called the most
destructive fire in Alaska’s history.
Firefighters from the Lower 48
pour in to help.
6/6: 1,300 firefighters now
working to put out blaze. Fire
officials are optimistic because
cooler, damper air moves in and
the smoke clears. Not a plume of
smoke came from Big Lake, but
the fire is still burning in Houston
and near Knik.
6/7: calm, moist air helps to
suppress the 57-square-mile
blaze. 344 houses and building
were destroyed in total as of 6/7.
Forecasted humidity and rain
bode well for complete fire
containment in the upcoming
days. An estimated 1,8000
evacuees begin filtering back to
their properties.
Even though firefighters have
Scan0030,
been extinguishing the fire, it may Scan0034
be burning underground, and
could erupt again with fresh
flames at any time in the next few
months.
Low snowfall and a drought in the
spring has caused dried out the
brush and the layers below the
grass.
As of 6/6, the fire in Big Lake had
not penetrated the drought layer
yet in the ground, which was a
good sign.
Once the fire is controlled, which
could take weeks, helicopters with
an infrared device are flow around
the burn areas to detect hidden
hot spots.
Enough rain will eventually
drench hidden fires. It takes more
than 0.10in of rain to begin
affecting the drought layers to
Fires are down but not
out. The Juneau Empire
(AK)- June 10, 1996.
Author(s): Allen Baker;
The Associated Press.
Page(s): 1, 8.




Disaster managers team
up against fire.
Anchorage Daily News
(AK)- June 9, 1996.
Author(s): Natalie
Phillips. Page(s): A-10.



Wildfire contained at Big
Lake. The Juneau
Empire (AK)- June 11,
1996. Author(s): Jim
Clarke; The Associated
Press. Page(s): 1, 8.




Mat-Su volunteers not to

start put out any latent fires.
The fire has caused more than
$10M in damages and has
charred more than 37,000 acres.
It has burned more than 380
buildings and forced at least
1,800 to evacuate.
By 6/10, 60% of the fire was
contained.
On 6/9, about 1,300 firefighters
were still working to locate
hotspots. Ten helicopters, about
70 fire engines, 20 water tankers,
and more than 20 bulldozers also
fought the fire.
Firefighters were also trying to
keep up with four other fires that
popped up in the Interior.
Every 12hrs at 8am and 8pm, the
Big Lake fire crew chiefs and fire
managers gathered in Houston
Junior-Senior High School for a
meeting about their goals and
priorities.
The first priority was the safety
and welfare of firefighters and the
public. The second was to protect
structures.
An NWS forecaster and a fire
analyst gave input on the
objectives.
The Big Lake fire was declared
fully contained by the night of
6/10. Residents would be allowed
to return the afternoon of 6/11.
On 6/10, two firefighters
sustained second-degree burns
when thy stepped into ashcovered holes containing
smoldering embers.
Firefighters continue to contain
the other fires that broke out in
the Interior.
More than 2,000 firefighters have
worked on the fire.
Houston’s fire chief says the Big
Scan0076,
Scan0077
Scan0035
Scan0078,
Scan0079
Scan0036,
blame, officials say.
Anchorage Daily News
(AK)- June 11, 1996.
Author(s): Tom Kizzia;
Daily News reporter.
Page(s): A-10.
Lake fire might have been
stopped early on if state officials
hadn’t ordered volunteer
firefighters back to their stations
on 6/3, right before the blaze got
out of control.
State fire managers said
commanders on the scene on 6/3
made the right call because the
fire occurred too far off the road
for the city’s equipment to
approach it, so they would not
have been able to extinguish it.
The fire near Tustumenta Lake on
the Kenai Peninsula burned
23,000 acres, and fire officials
said it was more than 40%
contained. About 500 firefighters
were working on the scene.
Since the fire spread on 6/3,
firefighters have saved more than
1,000 homes from 80ft walls of
fire.
Scan0037

The Big Lake fire may have been
intentionally setoff by fireworks.
The fireworks that were found
appeared to be put together to
generate heat and start a fire.
Scan0040,
Scan0041

Angry firefighters signed a petition Scan0055,
to get the Meadow Lakes fire
Scan0057
chief back after he was
suspended. The firefighters
argued that those put in control
did not know the local road
systems and communications
were made difficult from radios
being on different frequencies.
Some firefighters were even put
in potentially life-threatening
situations because of the lack of

One by one, they return
to Big Lake. The Daily
News-Miner (AK)- June
12, 1996. Author(s):
Allen Baker; Associated
Press Writer.
Flames claim blaze
battlers’ own homes.
Frontiersman (AK)- June
12, 1996. Author(s):
Laura Mitchell Harris;
Frontiersman reporter.
Page(s): A1, A12.
State suspects fireworks
used to ignite blaze.
Anchorage Daily News
(AK)- June 14, 1996.
Author(s): S.J.
Komarnitsky; Daily News
reporter. Page(s): A-1, A12.
Borough firefighters
sound off. Frontiersman
(AK)- June 14, 1996.
Author(s): Paul Stuart;
Frontiersman reporter.
Page(s): A1, A16.


Scan0069,
Scan0070
Scan0050,
Scan0054
Bottle rockets started
fire. Anchorage Daily
News (AK)- June 15,
1996. Author(s): Natalie
Phillips; Daily News
reporter. Page(s): A-1, A10.



communication.
The Big Lake fire was started by
someone who traveled about 3mi
down a desolate, gravel road, and
then walked 50yds into a thicket
of black spruce and set off bottle
rockets in two different locations.
Authorities believe it was not an
accidental fire.
Officials hoped to have the fire
completely extinguished by 6/16.
Scan0042,
Scan0043