A series of fires burning in Southwest and Central Alaska triggered air quality warnings across a broad area of the state as favorable winds and weather continued to push the state’s biggest fire away from several villages on the Yukon River.
The East Fork Fire in Southwest Alaska on Monday. The fire on Wednesday was still moving away from several villages.
A series of fires burning in Southwest and Central Alaska triggered air quality warnings across a broad area of the state as officials warned that critical fire conditions now exist across many portions of Alaska. Fires burning in Southwest and Western Alaska increased in size more than 150 square miles each day this week, according to the Alaska Division of Forestry. So far this year, 253 fires have burned an estimated 835,369 acres, or over 1,300 square miles, surpassing the 500,000 acres burned during a typical year based on the median value of data from the 2012–21 fire seasons.
Alaska’s fire season around the solstice is driven by long warm days that dry out the boreal duff layer that can easily be ignited by lightning, fire officials say. Fire on the isn’t unheard of, but as climate change continues to reshape the state’s environment, tundra fires are becoming both more frequent and more severe.
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