ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Three teenagers helped contain a forest fire on city land in Houston early Saturday morning using buckets to haul water from a nearby river, according to Houston Public Safety Director Christian Hartley.
A warming fire had escaped its container onto forest land near the Little Susitna River Campground, Hartley said.
“It was an active fire, about 1 foot flame length in dead grass and a lot of fallen logs,” Hartley said.
He said when Houston Fire Department crews arrived alongside the West Lakes and Willow fire departments, they found three teens already working a bucket brigade, hauling water from the nearby Little Susitna River using buckets and containers in an effort to slow the fire’s spread.
The teens carried water about 60 feet from the river to the fire’s edge, slowing the spread just enough for firefighters to gain control, Hartley said.
“It would have been really easy for that wind to have pushed that fire through all of those forested lands around those businesses and that park,” Hartley said.
Fire contained in 10 minutes
“The success that we had was because of how they set us up for that,” Hartley said.
He said firefighters extinguished the fire in 10 minutes. What started as a 1-foot-by-1-foot fire ended up at 30 feet by 15 feet.
The Houston Fire Department said in a Facebook post published Saturday that the teens had no connection to the fire’s ignition.
“Because of those teens, the fire was put out much easier,” the department wrote on Facebook. “Those youths saved a lot of woods and helped protect multiple nearby commercial businesses. They helped preserve Little Susitna Rotary Park.”
The fire department praised the teens for their quick action, noting they chose to act rather than stand by.
“They didn’t have to help, but they refused to just be bystanders,” the post read.
Hartley said the teens did not stick around for the credit. When firefighters showed up, they simply asked if they were still needed.
“They just wanted to help,” Hartley said. “That’s what being part of a community is. And if there’s going to be one thing we’re going to say as the cause for that kind of behavior in a youth, it’s going to be the parentage and the leadership they had growing up.”
“The community of Houston is really tight knit,” Hartley said. “A lot of people jump in to help anywhere that they can,” he said.
Because the three are minors, the Houston Fire Department said it would not release their photos. The department did extend public thanks to the teens and their families.
“To the teens – thank you! Your hard work and help is seen and recognized,” the department wrote. “To their parents – thank you! Between your kids’ ethic and your guidance, your teens turned into great youths and community servants.”
Hartley said burn permits remain suspended until the area gets a good soaking rain. He also offered fire safety advice.
“It got into the forest because of the grass coming all the way up to it,” Hartley said. “So, make sure you have good clearing around it at least 3 feet in every direction. And never leave it until you’ve put it out completely.”
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