Second Wildfire in Alaska Forces Evacuations, Burns Structures

Wildfire in Alaska Forces Evacuations
A second fire, dubbed the Card Street Fire, was reported as a 1-acre fire by Alaska State Troopers on Monday but grow to about 640 acres. Photo courtesy of Alaska Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry/Facebook

Second Wildfire in Alaska Forces Evacuations, Burns Structures

A second fire, dubbed the Card Street Fire, was reported as a 1-acre fire by Alaska State Troopers on Monday but grow to about 640 acres. Photo courtesy of Alaska Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry/Facebook
A second fire, dubbed the Card Street Fire, was reported as a 1-acre fire by Alaska State Troopers on Monday but grow to about 640 acres. Photo courtesy of Alaska Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry/Facebook

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, June 16 (UPI) — Firefighters in Alaska are continuing to battle two wildfires that have forced hundreds to evacuate and burned several structures — with Tuesday’s conditions possibly worsening the situation.

Another fire sparked following the Sockeye Fire, which grew to an estimated 6,500 acres north of the town of Willow, about 80 miles from Anchorage. It was first reported as a two-acre fire at 1:15 p.m. Sunday.

“The good news is the Sockeye Fire didn’t show substantial growth on Monday thanks to relatively calm weather and the hard work of the nearly 200 firefighters battling the fire,” Alaska Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry said in a statement.

The Card Street Fire, reported as a 1-acre fire by Alaska State Troopers on Monday, grew to about 640 acres near the town of Sterling in the Kenai Peninsula — forcing the evacuation of hundreds of homes and burning at least six structures.

Emergency crews “responded by helicopter, engines and four-wheelers but the fire had spread to 4 acres and was growing by the time they arrived.”

“Firefighters will be put to the test again [Tuesday] with the forecast calling temperatures in the mid-80s, low relative humidity and a chance of dry thunderstorms moving across the fire area in the afternoon,” the Division of Forestry said in a statement. “Keep your fingers crossed.”

Whether or not the Parks Highway road reopens depends on the condition of the fire surrounding it.

At least 10 firefighter hotshot crews from several states moved to help battle the fires in Alaska that has put emergency crews on the defensive. The Sockeye Fire is believed to have been caused by humans.

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