Forest fire teams continue to battle a wildfire 15 miles northwest of Fairbanks while bracing for additional blazes in the dry Alaska interior. The Alaska Interagency Coordination Center says the Hastings Fire has burned more than 5,800 acres between the Chatanika River and Washington Creek west of the Elliott Highway.
The fire is a threat to cabins along the Chatanika. Firefighters are working to keep the fire on the river’s north side. They have also begun building a line between the fire and the Hayes Subdivision five miles to the east.
The coordination center says 363 firefighters are working to contain the fire. The Hastings Fire is one of 47 burning in the state.
The wildfire at the Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park and Preserve is slowing, but high winds in the forecast for this evening could change that.
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Tony Gorman is a reporter at KCHU in Valdez.
