Days of rain, weaker winds are helping crews fighting the McHugh Creek wildfire

At least a week's worth of rain is expected to fall over the McHugh Creek fire zone as fire officials hope to get the upper hand against the 842-acre blaze headed into the weekend.

Incident Commander Tom Kurth said Alaska National Guard Black Hawk helicopter crews were released from making water drops on the fire. The fire was 7 percent contained Friday, but Kurth said the week of wet weather ahead will let crews turn the fire into a "mop-up show."

Additionally, on-ground firefighters were called off the front-lines at the east and west ends of the fire due to the weather, Kurth said during a community meeting at South Anchorage High School Friday evening. About 40 people attended the meeting.

"Our concern with the fire moving, and the perimeter we have is very low at this time," Kurth said. "People can go back to their normal lives here."

The fire is still smoldering, Kurth said Friday night. The quarter of an inch of rain that accumulated throughout the day has not penetrated the canopy of vegetation in the area of the fire, he said.

Clinton Northway, operations section chief trainee for the Alaska Incident Management Team, said the 1 1/4 mile break line, a trench of sorts meant to stop the spread of the fire, has not been extended since Thursday. Crews hope to once again work on the barrier Saturday, and other crews may begin a break line on the fire's edge closer to the Rainbow Valley community, he said.

Anchorage police dispatchers said Friday the Seward Highway remained open near the fire. No evacuations from Rainbow or Potter Valley areas were reported or expected, Anchorage Fire Department dispatchers said.

Structure protection tools remain in place in those neighborhoods, and crews there on standby are ready to join crews closer to the fire if needed, Northway said.

The AFD Facebook page urged highway drivers Friday afternoon to use "extreme caution," and obey the 35 mph speed limit posted throughout the McHugh Creek fire area. Firefighters noted rocks and other debris freed by the fire are still falling onto the road.

Officials reiterated the warning at the community meeting, asking people to avoid pulling off the road to look at the fire.

Assistant Chief Alex Boyd said only two signs along the Seward, the electronic signboard at the south end of Potter Marsh and a signboard at Indian, indicate the 35 mph speed limit.

[Thursday fire update: Rain in forecast eases worries as firefighters go on offensive against McHugh Creek blaze]

Many drivers, he said, have apparently forgotten the lower limits en route to Rainbow, where firefighting efforts have been most active.

"By the time they get there, they're flying," Boyd said. "Just be cognizant of the speed limit — it's been 35 since Monday."

Although fewer emergency personnel are working along the highway as strong rains reached the fire Friday, falling debris is once again a significant concern.

"The first day that we ended up going to single-lane, we had burning branches and rocks falling on the highway," Boyd said. "Now that we have active firefighting going on, we've got more debris falling."

Boyd said drivers might also consider delaying plans for trips along the Seward.

"If possible, maybe just pick another day to drive that road," Boyd said.

[Photos: Firefighters work to contain McHugh fire on Thursday]

National Weather Service meteorologist Luis Ingram confirmed forecasters were expecting seven days of rain as a weather system moves east into the area.

"For the next 24 to 36 hours, at least by Saturday morning, at least an inch can be expected," Ingram said. "Some areas locally may see a little more — the area surrounding the McHugh Creek fire is one of those areas."

When the fire began late Saturday, vegetation in Potter Valley was dry; it could easily crumble in a person's hand, said management team fire behavior analyst Brad Reed. Now, that vegetation is "like a sponge in your sink," he said.

But the McHugh Creek fire area has a "deep fuel bed," Reed explained. Organic soils extending far down into the ground are prone to burn, so smoke will continue to be visible but diminish every day, he said.

Winds from the southwest, which have been gusting up to 16 mph Friday morning, will blow from the northwest and weaken to under 10 mph by the evening, Ingram said. That change, along with the rainfall, will help reduce smoke from the wildfire that reached Anchorage Thursday.

"It's kind of a double benefit: we'll get the rain to bring the smoke down, and then we'll get the wind to shift it out of here," Ingram said.

Devin Kelly contributed information to this story.