Some of Alaska’s firefighters are headed to the Lower 48 to help with blazes ranging from Washington to New Mexico. The state’s Division of Forestry said they are retaining enough resources to respond to any fires in Alaska.
So far this year, the fire season has been quiet. On average, 1.2 million acres burn every year. As of Tuesday morning, fewer than 340,000 have seen wildfire damage. Most of the current fires are in remote, drier parts of northeast Alaska.
Anne Hillman is the healthy communities editor at Alaska Public Media and a host of Hometown, Alaska. Reach her atahillman@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Annehere.