The Boundary wildfire 20 miles north of Fairbanks has doubled in size since Wednesday. Now at 225,000 acres, it's forcing the evacuation of hundreds of residents along the Steese and Elliott highways.
The smoke in the Interior city is overwhelming, and ash is collecting just about everywhere. But, mostly, people are worried about their homes going up in flames.
Fire trucks moved in as residents moved out of Haystack, a subdivision now on the edge of the Boundary wildfire. In Fairbanks, the information office is flooded with worried phone calls, as firefighters work on building firebreaks to protect hundreds of homes.
"I was out there for 12 days and we were working some of the longest hours I've ever worked," said crewman Trevor Fulton.
The smothering smoke in the Interior isn't helping, keeping planes and helicopters grounded. "Really, you couldn't see much. You couldn't see where the fire was at. You just had this eerie orange glow all around you," said Fulton.
Ten miles up the Elliott Highway, people from Haystack are camped out at the Hilltop gas station, after grabbing what they could from their homes last night.
"I slept in my car," said Wanda Denndorfer. "Tonight I don't know what we're going to do." She and other Haystack residents can only hope the wind will change direction before the fire gets too close to homes. "It's pretty tough to think about losing everything," she said.
But with the wind shift not expected until Friday, the hopes of some residents are starting to grow dim.
The Steese Highway is shut down, starting at the Fox waystation, and people north of Mile 14 have been told to leave. On the Elliott Highway, residents between Miles 10 and 28 also are evacuating.
The Red Cross has set up a shelter at West Valley High School.
So far, the cost of fighting the fire is being put at $7 million. The Federal Emergency Management Agency says it could help pay part of the bill.
Up in the northeastern corner of the state, fire crews are reporting some progress on the Solstice Complex fire. They were able to stop the spread of the Pingo fire to the south toward the village of Venetie. That fire is now at 157,000 acres.
Firefighters have installed pumps and fire hoses around Venetie, along with a sprinkler system at the fireline to protect the village. The fire is less than two miles away from the community.
On the Winter Trail fire east of Venetie, crews are concentrating on protecting private land allotments and cabins in the area. That fire is now at about 128,000 acres.
