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Unseasonably high temperatures, unpredictable winds and low humidity have been the perfect storm for wildfires to break out in the state, which recorded its warmest May ever. Some of the major blazes have threatened hundreds of homes and forced numerous evacuations, the Associated Press reported. As of Thursday morning, a total of 56 fires were actively burning around the state.
What you need to know about the Sockeye Fire: evacuation, pets, travel, how to help http://t.co/kZx6v2G19S pic.twitter.com/3FP74XvKw9
— Alaska Dispatch News (@adndotcom) June 15, 2015
“It’s in the 80s right now, and we usually don’t get that kind of weather,” Casey Cook, the emergency manager for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, told the news organization. “So all those combine to make it a very heavy fire fuel area.”
#Alaska Drivers on ParksHwy headed towards #SockeyeFire are being asked to turn around: http://t.co/f10kMJFcXB #KTVA pic.twitter.com/RGONW2BWAf — KTVA 11 News (@ktva) June 16, 2015
Area burned by #SockeyeFire is home to many kennels; hundreds of sled dogs are displaced http://t.co/Si7vTZnHyE pic.twitter.com/NzEwZaFMEG
— Alaska Dispatch News (@adndotcom) June 15, 2015
The above average temperatures this spring are a continuation of an incredibly mild winter with record low snowfall forcing the Iditarod dog sled race in Anchorage to move north 300 miles to Fairbanks. Additionally, a ski resort outside of Juneau had to close because of low snowfall and warm temperatures that inhibited snow-making.
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