Alaska Crews Gear Up To Build Fire Defense Lines Around Residential Areas

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) -- Clearing skies have been a mixed blessing for hundreds of firefighters battling more than a dozen wildfires in Alaska's Interior.

A shift in the winds over the weekend dissipated much of the smoke that hovered over the 306,000-acre Boundary fire, about 30 miles north of Fairbanks, giving fire managers and residents an opportunity to see where the fire is going and exactly where it's been.

At the same time, the hot sun over central Alaska has another chance to bake already torchy fuels, particularly quick-burning black spruce, the bane of the crews on the Boundary fire and 175,000-acre Wolf Creek fire to the east.

Even higher humidity and expected showers are no guarantee of relief. Fire managers fear predicted thunderstorms Monday could bring more lightning, which also sparked the Boundary and Wolf Creek fires, especially if there's not enough moisture to compensate for the arid conditions. ``Things can change real quick up here,'' said fire information spokeswoman Lindsay Barclay. ``It's a double-edged sword. On the one hand, better weather gives crews better visibility, so their work is not as dangerous. But it can also increase the likelihood of fire activity.''

The Boundary fire north of Fairbanks picked up again late Sunday. Hotshot crews were dispatched to put out flare-ups near the Chatanika Lodge, fire officials said. Firefighters were expected to work near Mile 30 of the Steese Highway all night putting in a firebreak.

The Wolf Creek fire near the Chena Hot Springs resort also sprang back to life. Southwest winds of up to 20 mph veered the fire north and toward the resort, and cabins and homes, along the last two miles of the Chena Hot Springs Road.

The road remains open and no evacuations have been ordered, but officials have told residents and cabin owners they should be prepared to go quickly to the resort's airfield - the designated safety zone - if conditions take a serious turn for the worse.

The Wolf Creek fire is No. 2 on fire officials' priority list, just behind the Boundary fire.

Crews on the Boundary fire will focus on structure protection on Monday. The goal is to bulldoze their way around vulnerable residential subdivisions evacuated last week, Barclay said.

A few residents have chosen to return to their homes, but an official evacuation order remains in effect for 277 homes and businesses still threatened by the blaze, which has damaged at least one home. It's not safe for those people to return to their homes, fire managers said.

Sunday afternoon, there was active spotting at Mile 38 of the Steese Highway, so crews temporarily shut that part of the road to all traffic, Barclay said. Much of the Steese has been closed to all but fire crews and workers at the Fort Knox mine.

Alaska State Troopers let homeowners through to retrieve possessions or check on property but urged people not to stay, said fire information spokeswoman Wayne Johnson.

``If residents choose to go in, they do so at their own risk,'' he said.

Gary and Patty Yamamoto were among those returning home Sunday. The couple had just moved to the area from Fairbanks when they had to leave during extreme fire activity on Thursday. They camped out with three dogs at a truck stop several miles from their property.

``We've been eating a lot of our meals there, and we've met a lot of our new neighbors,'' said Gary Yamamoto, one of the many displaced residents camping out with pets. Others took their animals - including horses, llamas, reindeer and goats - to the fairgrounds in Fairbanks.

In the Wolf Creek fire, at least five recreational cabins burned last week. The fire, started June 7 by lightning, is burning about 50 miles northeast of Fairbanks.

Elsewhere, the 13-fire Eagle complex of fires in east-central Alaska, just west of the Canada border, had burned more than 441,600 acres. The Taylor Highway complex, 35 miles northwest of Tok, has burned more than 457,000 acres.

Farther north, the fire line on the south flank of the 161,000-acre Pingo fire has held so far, halting its progression toward Venetie, a village of about 300 people, fire managers said.

There were 62 active fires in Alaska on Sunday, 13 of which were staffed. The rest were being monitored. So far this year, 342 fires have burned more than 1.8 million acres.