Alaska wildfires destroy dozens of homes, menace highway
JUNEAU, Alaska | By Steve Quinn Tue Jun 16, 2015 8:24am EDT
Two fast-spreading Alaska wildfires have forced a series of evacuations, destroyed up to 45 homes and forced authorities to restrict traffic on a major highway connecting two of the state's largest cities, state officials said on Monday.
As many as 200 firefighters have been battling a 6,500-acre fire about 40 miles (64 km) north of Anchorage since Sunday afternoon.
About 137 miles (220km) south of Anchorage, crews are fighting a much smaller, but equally dangerous blaze that threatens nearly 200 homes.
Additional specially trained firefighting teams from the lower 48 states and Canada were scheduled to arrive on Monday night and begin assisting on Tuesday, Alaska Forestry Division spokesman Sam Harrel said.
Crews have been battling the fires on the ground and from the air, with help from the three Alaska National Guard Blackhawk helicopters, according to state reports.
Harrel said the larger fire was ignited by human activity but the specific cause is being investigated. Dry and warm weather accelerated the blaze, he said. It started on Sunday afternoon near Willow, where the Iditarod, Alaska's famed sled-dog race, typically kicks off. It initially covered about two acres, but within 11 hours had engulfed 6,500 acres, according to the forestry division.
Harrel said flames quickly jumped from one 30- to 40-foot spruce tree to the next, forcing a temporary closure of the Parks Highway, which links Anchorage in the state's south central region to Fairbanks in Alaska's eastern interior.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/16/us-usa-wildfires-alaska-idUSKBN0OV2IK20150616
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Saying prayers & special thoughts for all who are battling this horrid event!
2nd warmest - dry year on record = Anchorage Alaska
