The woman encountered an adult bear and two cubs while opening her door to let two dogs outside.
KENAI, Alaska — A woman was airlifted to an Anchorage-area hospital after a brown bear attacked her on the front deck of her Kenai home as she tried to protect her dogs, Alaska authorities said.
The attack happened at about 4:54 a.m. Thursday after the unidentified woman opened her front door to let two dogs outside, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety. She found an adult brown bear and two cubs in the front yard. Officials said one dog returned inside, while the other ran into the yard.
The woman retrieved a shotgun from the house and returned outside, investigators said. She fired three or four rounds in an effort to frighten the bears away. Authorities have not said whether any of the animals were struck.
The adult bear then attacked the woman while she was standing on the front deck, officials said. Another woman inside the home came outside and yelled at the bear, causing it to retreat with the cubs. She then helped the injured woman return inside.
The victim suffered serious injuries and was taken by helicopter to a hospital in the Anchorage area. Authorities did not release further details about her injuries or provide an updated medical condition. Her name was withheld.
Neither dog was reported injured in the encounter. Officials did not say how far the second dog traveled into the yard or whether its movement brought it closer to the bears.
Alaska Wildlife Troopers and state Department of Fish and Game personnel investigated the property after the attack. They found several bird feeders in the yard that appeared to have been disturbed by the bears, according to officials.
Investigators did not announce whether the adult bear was being actively tracked or whether officials planned to remove any of the animals. The presence of two cubs indicated the adult was likely acting protectively, but authorities had not issued a final finding about what triggered the attack.
The incident occurred in Kenai, a community on the Kenai Peninsula where homes and wildlife habitat often overlap. Officials did not release the home’s exact location or report other encounters involving the same bears in the surrounding area.
The investigation remained open as wildlife authorities reviewed the scene. No additional injuries were reported, and officials had not released further information about the woman’s recovery or the bears’ location.
Author note: Last updated July 13, 2026.