Fires burning wild across Interior Alaska

http://www.adn.com/news/environment/fire/story/887854.html

Wildfires that are blanketing Interior Alaska with smoke grew by tens of thousands of acres Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Meantime, a combination of hot weather and low humidity has fire officials nervous about their ability to tackle any new fires even as they battle massive blazes to the north and west of Fairbanks.

"There's no sign of moisture or a cloud in the sky," said Division of Forestry spokesman Pete Buist. "A lot of smoke, but no clouds."

The latest fire started Tuesday about 20 miles outside of Fairbanks, diverting water-scooping aircraft and crews from one of the larger fires. By Tuesday night, it had grown to about 1,000 acres and is threatening roughly 30 cabins, Buist said.

Elsewhere, the two largest collections of wildfires grew by roughly 40,000 acres to reach an estimated 856,000 acres as of Wednesday afternoon.

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I hope alaska's beautiful wilderness isn't too damaged.
I know fires are a part of natures clean up... but so little precipitation and heat is not normal.