Wildfire season in Alaska is in full swing with the Alaska Division of Forestry working to battle a handful of large fires across the state.
From Fairbanks to the Kenai Peninsula and McGrath, the division is deploying crews and dropping water in the hopes of slowing fire growth. One fire in particular grew significantly in size over a short period of time. The Haystack fire, caused by lightning, was reported to the division on Monday. It’s burning about 20 miles north of Fairbanks, according to a release from the division.
It was first reported 2 miles north of the Haystack Subdivision and was initially reported to be about 5 acres. By Tuesday afternoon, it was estimated to be 400 acres, and by 10 p.m. Tuesday night it had grown to 500. The blaze is burning mostly among black spruce, with some mixed hardwoods as well and is “exhibiting what fire managers described as extreme fire behavior with 200-foot flame lengths at the head,” the division wrote in the release.