Alaska wildfires unusually widespread and stubborn

Faced with 95 active wildfires and lightning bolts by the hundreds, Alaska wildfire officials Tuesday called fire activity for the month of May unprecedented and warned that the risk of more wildfires is high and that their resistance to control is nearing extreme.

Thirteen of the fires were staffed with 1,467, firefighters, including some 900 people from the Lower 48, while others were burning unchecked in what has to date been an uncommonly hot and dry Alaska spring.

The fire activity Tuesday prompted the National Interagency Coordination Center to elevate Alaska to Preparedness Level IV, topping every other region in the country.

"We are now the national priority, which is good because that helps us in terms of getting resources, both people and equipment," said Pete Buist, a spokesman for the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center.

The National Weather Service was predicting some respite in much of the state -- cooler temperatures and some precipitation -- but at the expense of accompanying thunderstorms.

More than 2,000 lightning bolts snapped down on Alaska on Monday, with more lightning expected through the week, according to the interagency fire center.

Near Anchorage, a wildfire burning about two miles south of Eklutna Lake, fueled by whipping winds Monday, exploded from 300 acres 1,300, fire officials said Tuesday.

Cooler temperatures and more cloud cover helped firefighters hold a critical defensive line constructed during the night. But firefighters were bracing for strong afternoon winds that would put them to the test.

There were 110 firefighters on the blaze, but they were hampered by steep canyon walls and thick smoke. The fire was considered uncontained Tuesday morning.

The East Fork Trail has been closed until further notice, but the Eklutna campground remains open. Thick smoke prompted fire officials to advise people sensitive to smoke to stay indoors and avoid strenuous physical activity.

Near McGrath, the Turquoise Lake fire was burning uncontrolled on 56,000 acres in a remote area. Last week it destroyed four cabins, the Farewell Lake Lodge and several outbuildings, and on Tuesday the fire was continuing to threaten 12 cabins in the vicinity, said Gary Lehnhausen, a spokesman for the state Division of Forestry.

"I know they went out there to do structure protection and the fire was some of the most extreme conditions that people around here had ever seen," Lehnhausen said. "They basically had enough time to pick up the caretaker and leave before the fire overran the whole place."

Crews on Monday attempted to drop a load of retardant on the holdover fire, but smoke was so dense they couldn't see to drop it, he said.

Crews Tuesday concentrated on several high-profile fires that have consumed vast quantities of forest acreage. The largest among them was the Eagle Trail fire, burning 13,200 acres about a half mile south of Tanacross, which is staffed with more than 500 firefighters. Crews say it is 15 percent contained.

The Gilles Creek fire, burning about 20 miles north of Delta Junction, had consumed 16,400 acres of wildland growth and was staffed by more than 252 firefighters. The Toklat fire, about 25 miles southwest of Nenana, had burned 127,176 acres and was staffed by nearly 200 firefighters.

The small McClain Lake fire continued to burn in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge on the east side of Swanson River, according to fire information officer Brian Ballou. The fire covered 40 acres.

"No immediate structures seemed to be threatened" Ballou said.

So far this year, 276 wildfires have burned through an estimated 353,000 acres statewide.

Find James Halpin online at adn.com/contact/jhalpin or call him at 257-4589.