Denali Borough to collect property-owner details; borough to accept fire-damaged debris at no cost for affected residents

Denali Borough officials told residents at a community meeting in Healy that they are collecting property-owner information to verify losses and begin damage-assessment work, and that the borough intends to accept fire-damaged debris from verified affected properties at no cost.

Forrest Shreve, the borough emergency manager, said rooms were set up to gather property information one person at a time after the meeting and asked property owners with structures in the June Creek and Bear Creek areas to meet with borough staff. "Today, after this meeting is over, we're gonna invite, people who own property out there with structures on their property to please come and meet in the room directly outside of here," Shreve said.

Shreve said mapping and structure-verification work is "patchy" in places and varies by area; some properties can already be confirmed present or gone while others require on-the-ground identification. He acknowledged the emotional difficulty for residents waiting to learn whether their homes remain. "It is extremely frustrating for people to be out of their homes and not know whether or not their home is there. We are aware of that, and, we we are sensitive to that," he said.

When residents asked about removal of salvageable metal, vehicles and other unburned items, Shreve said the borough will accept fire-damaged debris at no cost to affected property owners but emphasized the borough must positively identify the property owner before taking materials. "If you show up at the landfill ... we will take fire damage debris at no cost, for those who've been affected," he said, while noting debris that was not damaged by fire may not be eligible.

Officials asked residents to provide contact information for follow-up if they could not attend the meeting; borough staff said online attendees will be contacted when property owners on site have finished reporting so staff can follow up by phone.

Local residents described direct interactions with firefighters and mutual aid that helped protect particular homes, underscoring the community role in protecting structures while operations continue.

Residents seeking verification or to provide property details were directed to speak with borough staff at the rooms set up immediately after the meeting and to monitor the Denali Borough website and Facebook page for updates.