Evacuation orders were issued last night for the village of Tanacross and a nearby subdivision of Tok, due to a fast moving wildfire that‘s closed a stretch the Alaska Highway. Dave Stancliff with Tok Forestry says the fire, suspected to be lightning caused and initially reported at 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, quickly grew from five acres to 2,000 acres in just a few hours.
Stancliff says about 15 residences in the Eagle subdivision, about 10 miles from Tok are also threatened by the fire, and were asked to evacuate. He says crews focused on structure protection are being aided by air support and bulldozers cutting protective lines through the mixed black spruce and aspen forest.
Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks
Download Audio (MP3)
