| Miller's Reach fire | |
|---|---|
 Extent of the burned area in the fire | |
| Date(s) | June 2, 1996 – June 15, 1996 |
| Location | Near Houston, Alaska, United States |
| Coordinates | 61°37′01″N 149°51′18″W / 61.617°N 149.855°W |
| Statistics | |
| Burned area | 37,336 acres (151 km2) |
| Impacts | |
| Deaths | 0 |
| Structures destroyed | 344 |
| Damage | >$10 million |
| Ignition | |
| Cause | Uncertain; likely due to mishandling of fireworks[1][2] |
The Miller’s Reach Fire, also known as the Big Lake Fire, was a wildfire that began on June 2, 1996 in an area around Miller’s Reach Road near Houston, Alaska, approximately 33 miles (53 km) north of Anchorage, Alaska. The fire burned over 37,000 acres (15,000 ha), destroyed at least 344 structures,[3] and caused more than $10 million in damage to structures and property.[4] The fire was at the time the most destructive in Alaska history, consuming more structures than all other wildfires in Alaskan history combined.[5] 37 fire departments and 1,800 firefighting and support personnel responded to the fire.[6] It took nearly two weeks to completely control the fire.
- ^ "Miller's Reach fire lawsuit seeks $100 million in damages | Juneau Empire - Alaska's Capital City Online Newspaper". juneauempire.com. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
- ^ Hollander, Zaz (11 June 2016). "Big Lake marks 20th anniversary of Millers Reach, the wildfire that changed everything". Alaska Dispatch News. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
- ^ KTUU, Patrick Enslow / (5 June 2016). "20 years later Big Lake remembers Miller's Reach fire". Gray Television, Inc. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
- ^ Frontiersman, Christina Seine For the (2 June 2014). "Miller's Reach Fire remembered". Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
- ^ "Annual Fire Activity Report, 1996" (PDF). U.S. Fish and Wildlive Service. p. 12. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
- ^ "State of Alaska Hazard Mitigation Plan 2013" (PDF). Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. pp. 5–22. Retrieved 31 May 2017.