ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- Alaska's wildfires grew more than 300,000 acres in 24 hours due largely to gusting winds and dry heat in the state's Interior.
And firefighters expect more of the same in the days to come.
``I just don't see any breaks in the weather for the next three to five days,'' said Gil Knight, a fire information officer with the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center near Fairbanks. ``Some of these fires they're monitoring, they are ripping.''
Fires had burned about 2.9 million acres in the state by Wednesday, up from 2.6 million the day before. Ten new fires sprung up, and a new complex of fires grew to 70,000 acres in a single day.
Few of the fires appeared to be threatening homes, Knight said, although 40 structures have been lost so far.
Eagle residents remained on notice they may have to evacuate, although the Deer Creek fire had not advanced closer than five miles from their community on the Yukon River.
Firefighters built a contingency line - also called a firebreak - about a quarter mile from the town of 126. If the wildfire gets too close to the line, firefighters will light their torches and burn the land between the firebreak and the wildfire.
Fire information officer Bert Plante said firefighters battling several wildfires in Alaska are encountering extreme fire behavior, which includes 30-foot trees ablaze with 100-foot flames. In situations like that, the fire is too big to try and douse it with water or throw dirt on it, he said.
``That's honkin','' Plante said. ``When you come right down to it, how are you going to stop it? About the only way you can fight that kind of fire is with more fire. Eagle is ready to do it.''
Plante said if the situation becomes dire, residents will be given two hours to gather at a designated safety zone at the local airport. The Red Cross already has set up a shelter in Tok, about 165 miles away.
``Hopefully, if the big fire comes up there is nothing to burn and it stops the fire,'' Plante said. ``As long as it goes past the town and not through it ... then you have success.''
Plante said the 36,000-acre Evansville fire near the Kuskokwim River village of Bettles 185 miles northwest of Fairbanks - while one of the smaller wildfires in the state - was showing extreme behavior.
``The darn thing is growing by thousands of acres every day,'' Plante said. ``Yesterday it was really romping and stomping.''
While winds blowing from the southwest caused the fire to spread rapidly, it was moving into uninhabited areas and not advancing on Bettles.
The Taylor Highway fire measured 742,093 acres on Wednesday - an increase of more than 90,000 acres from the previous day. Motorists were experiencing lengthy delays on the Taylor Highway - Eagle's only road out of town - and the Steese Highway.
The Boundary fire northeast of Fairbanks measured 365,000 acres on Wednesday after it spread about 20,000 acres to the north and northeast into a largely recreational area.
The fire was staying away from inhabited areas that previously had to be evacuated for a week. However, winds were pushing more smoke into the Fairbanks area causing some residents there to become alarmed the fire was moving their way, Plante said.
Fire crews this week will likely receive 15 fire engines shipped from other states, Knight said. Five engines will go to the Eagle complex, five to Tok and five are to be put on standby. Otherwise, the state appears to have enough fire resources, he said.
``The only thing we're short of is water from the heavens,'' Knight said.
