Two homes were confirmed destroyed, both primary residences and not vacation cabins, said Alaska Division of Forestry fire information spokesperson Matt Weaver in a press briefing Friday morning. Both homes were in the Mile 18 area.

One homeowner, John Coile, confirmed Thursday that his family had lost their home on the south side of East End Road opposite the Basargin Road cutoff. Coile's family evacuated Wednesday night.

A public meeting may be held this weekend in Homer at a time and place to be announced.

No residents or firefighters have been reported injured.

Bulldozer and other lines to hold the fire have been working, Weaver said.

"Those suppression lines are holding," he said.

Favorable weather has helped firefighters. The dew point on Wednesday was in the 20s and on Thursdays it was in the 40s.

"Weather is being our friend," Weaver said.

The fire remains hazardous, however, he cautioned.

"Even though we're not in a blowup phase with 50-foot flames, there's still a lot of heat. We're at the mercy of the weather," Weaver said. "People who live out there still need to have a head's up. Be situationally aware," he added.

"We're not seeing a lot of active fire behavior," said Kelly Kane, an information officer with the Alaska Fire Service, Bureau of Land Management. "There's potential -- it could flare up," she added.

East End Road remains closed in the fire zone. Fire officials have set up a checkpoint just past McNeil Canyon Elementary School, and Alaska State Troopers have a roadblock at about Mile 16.5. The road in that area is narrow and winding, with little or no shoulders and infrequent turnoffs. Many large fire engines use the road to attack possible fires, particularly around homes, Weaver said.

"Safety of the road is still a huge concern," he said.

Fire officials are aware people who evacuated want to get back in to check on their homes.

"As soon as they deem it safe, there will a window (to get back in)," Weaver said. "That time is not now."

Power was restored to all customers about midnight Friday, said Joe Gallagher, a Homer Electric Association spokesman. HEA crews had repaired the line on Wednesday before the fire flared up, but did not re-energize it because of safety concerns. HEA and State Forestry determined Thursday night it was safe to power back up, Gallagher said.

According to State Forestry, the fire started from a downed powerline. HEA could not confirm that, Gallagher said, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Fire officials have asked that schools remain closed in Voznesenka, Razdolna and Kachemak Selo, the Russian Old Believer villages at the end of East End Road. School buses are not running past McNeil Canyon to pick up or drop off students.

The Mile 17 East End Road fire began about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday just east of Lusky Road about Mile 16.5 East End Road and had spread to 70 acres Tuesday night. The fire had quieted down on Wednesday morning, but erratic winds that afternoon stirred the fire up, and it grew to about 1,000 acres by noon Thursday.

Although weather conditions improved Friday, the fire danger is extremely high, and State Forestry has suspended all open burning on the Kenai Peninsula, including burning in burn barrels. Weaver asked people to police themselves and their neighbors.

Weaver said firefighters are focusing on protecting the lives of citizens and firefighters, protecting homes and infrastructure, and keeping the fire south of East End Road and keeping the road open.

On Thursday afternoon, a Type I Incident Management Team took over command of the fire.

"It's the highest level of commitment the state can offer," Weaver said.

Three divisions of firefighters from around Alaska are now fighting the fire, with 225 crew, including support staff. Fire units from Anchorage, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Central Emergency Services, Homer, Anchor Point and Kachemak Emergency Services have been providing support.

Crews on Friday worked on widening suppression lines, particularly bulldozer lines put in around homes on Wednesday. They also were putting out hot spots and doing controlled burns within the fire area of unburned fuel.

"We're fighting fire with fire to deprive the fire of any fuel should the wind shift," Weaver said.

The Mile 17 fire affected Kachemak Bay State Park, private land and Cook Inlet Regional Inc. land. The area includes parcels of logged and unlogged beetle-kill spruce, blue-joint grass, and mowed and unmowed hay fields, as well as other vegetation. Many areas, particularly the state park, have rough terrain and no road access.

Although the weather turned in firefighters' favor on Friday, the Mile 17 fire is not yet fully controlled or out. Weaver said firefighters expect to remain on the fire for days if not weeks.

With power restored, this is a good time for those residents who did not evacuate to water and wet down lawns. Some pruning of lower limbs on trees or along driveways would be helpful, Weaver said, although fire officials said cutting down trees and creating large piles of brush and fuel is not a good idea at this time.

Weaver encouraged people to review the checklist of the Firewise program. Visit www.firewise.org for guidelines. These include clearing a 30-foot safety zone around homes and moving flammable materials such as woodpiles away from homes.

KBBI 890 am radio is broadcasting periodic updates. Messages to friends or offers of help can be made on KBBI's "fire line" at 235-7721. Weaver said many volunteers have provided food to firefighters.

A Red Cross shelter is at the Homer High School. People needing Red Cross assistance can visit the shelter at the high school.

Borough officials are trying to contact people who evacuated.

Call (907) 262-4910 to report evacuee status.

Updates on the fire can be heard on a State Forestry recording at (907) 260-4269.

As further information becomes available, the Homer News will post updates.

Michael Armstrong can be reached at michael.armstrong@homernews.com.