Alaska wildfires spread amid windy, hot weather
By Steve Quinn
JUNEAU, Alaska (Reuters) - Two Alaska wildfires that have forced hundreds of people to evacuate and destroyed dozens of homes spread on Tuesday in windy, hot and dry weather conditions conducive to extreme fire behavior, state officials said.
One of the fires forced authorities to restrict traffic on a major highway connecting two of the state's largest cities.
The fires come as officials express concern about crews battling blazes amid unpredictable winds, high temperatures, low humidity and lightning strikes.
"Considering the weather we are dealing with, these guys are going to be challenged," said Sam Harrel, spokesman for the Alaska Forestry Division.
The first fire ignited on Sunday near Willow, known as the starting point for the Iditarod, Alaska's famed sled dog race. It quickly spread to about 6,500 acres and destroyed up to 45 homes, officials said. On Monday, it grew to 7,500 acres.
The second fire started on Monday in Sterling, on the Kenai Peninsula. The grass fire quickly grew to 650 acres and forced people from nearly 200 homes, officials said.
In Willow, travel on the Parks Highway, which connects Anchorage to Fairbanks, remained limited over a stretch covering almost 15 miles, according to a forestry division report.
The number of homes threatened by fire stood at about 1,700, according to Matanuska-Susitna Borough spokeswoman Patty Sullivan. She said about 230 people registered with evacuation sites, a number that may include tourists.
In Sterling, Harrel said the smaller blaze remains intense. Initially the fire was accessible only by a four-wheeler and by air, Harrel said.
"This fire was burning so well and so confident, it was burning through the retardant," Harrel said. "We don’t see that very often."
(Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Will Dunham)
