ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A burn ban was ordered Tuesday over a wide swath of Alaska as firefighters battle dozens of wildfires in the arid state.
“Conditions are almost perfect for the smallest spark to quickly become a large, dangerous wildfire,” Division of Forestry Director Chris Maisch said in a release.
“There are hundreds of people putting their lives on the line dealing with the fires we have, and we simply can’t risk creating more,” he said.
Joint orders banning campfires and other fires were issued by the forestry agency and Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation, Anchorage television station KTUU reported .
The ban applies to Anchorage along with the boroughs of Fairbanks North Star, Mat-Su, Kenia Peninsula and Denali. Other locations include the area from Glennallen to Valdez and communities in Tanana Valley.
The ban also prohibits cooking, warming and signaling fires. It doesn’t cover gas or charcoal grills, or backpacking or camping stoves that use fuel or compressed canisters.
Burn permits in Division of Forestry protection areas were suspended until conditions improve.
There were 117 active wildfires burning Tuesday in Alaska. Of those, 24 were staffed with firefighters.
There have been a total of 392 wildfires in the state this season, with more than a million acres burned.
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Information from: KTUU-TV, http://www.ktuu.com