Skip to main content

Wildfire prompts evacuation order for areas near Anderson

In this aerial photo provided by the BLM Alaska Fire Service, the east side of the East Fork Fire is seen near St. Mary's, Alaska, on June 9, 2022. (BLM Alaska Fire Service via AP) In this aerial photo provided by the BLM Alaska Fire Service, the east side of the East Fork Fire is seen near St. Mary's, Alaska, on June 9, 2022. (BLM Alaska Fire Service via AP)
Share
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -

An evacuation order was issued Saturday for people living in about 45 homes in subdivisions near a community in Interior Alaska after winds pushed the Clear Fire closer to them.

The fire is burning near the community of Anderson, about 81 miles (130 kilometers) southwest of Fairbanks. The city of Anderson itself is not under an evacuation order.

However, those in the nearby Kobe Ag, Quota and Anderson subdivisions were told to leave their homes after the fire came within 3 miles (4.83 kilometers), said Sam Harrel, a spokesperson for the Alaska Division of Forestry.

The nearly 7-square-mile (18-square-kilometer) fire was started Tuesday by lightning. It is burning in a mix of tundra, brush, hard wood trees and black spruce.

Conditions Friday included higher than anticipated temperatures and winds, which pushed the fire closer to the subdivisions. Saturday's conditions were comparable, officials said.

The Denali Borough has set up evacuation sites at the Tri-Valley School in Healy, which is south of Anderson, and at the city school in Nenana, north of Anderson.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high

The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.

Local Spotlight