Now, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has closed the area while it conducts searches for the bear, and officials are advising everyone in the vicinity to brush up on their bear safety and carry bear spray, despite the rarity of bear attacks in the Chugach mountains.

A hiker near Anchorage, Alaska was able to survive a mauling from a brown bear this week. The woman, who has yet to be identified, said that "they were mauled by a bear and needed help as soon as possible," according to the Anchorage Fire Department.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A brown bear attacked a woman as she hiked a popular trail in a hillside neighborhood in Anchorage, Alaska, and officials are still looking for the animal, state police said.