Gusty winds, lightning in interior Alaska fuel wildfire near Fairbanks

A large wildfire south of Fairbanks grew Tuesday as authorities expanded possible evacuation zones and warned of hot and windy conditions around Alaska's interior.

The 35,000-acre McDonald Fire started following a lightning strike June 8 and spread quickly through black spruce trees west of the Tanana River, Beth said Ipsen, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Land Management's Alaska Fire Department.

On Tuesday, the fire caused the appearance of a cloud visible from Fairbanks. Thunderstorms are expected to move through the region this week, bringing gusty winds and lightning that could further fuel the spread of the fires, officials said.

The fire posed a threat to 21 cabins along 5 Mile Creek, where crews worked to clear vegetation to protect the cabins, but none of the buildings are primary residences, Ipsen said.

The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning reflecting dry, windy and hot conditions across northern Interior Alaska Tuesday through Wednesday.

The fire was moving north, prompting Authorities need to ramp up the evacuation status of two additional neighborhoods to be “ready” Tuesday, said Luke Butcher, director of emergency operations for the Fairbanks North Star Borough. Residents should be prepared for possible evacuation if the fire crosses the Tanana River, he said.

It was unclear how many people lived in the area, but Butcher described it as one of the most rural sections of the borough. He advised residents to sign up for text alerts by texting “FNSB Wildfire Alert” to 67283.

Statewide, about 58,000 acres had burned as of Tuesday, mostly in interior and western Alaska. So far, only about 3,000 acres have burned so far this year from human-caused wildfires, Ipsen said, with the rest largely sparked by lightning.

There were no significant fires in south-central Alaska. Officials described the fire risk as moderate in Anchorage on Tuesday.

Firefighters were monitoring two large tundra fires northeast of Noatak, but neither fire posed a threat to people or property Tuesday, Ipsen said.

About 10 acres had burned Tuesday in two separate fires in Katmai National Park and Preserve, firefighters said. The fires were likely started by lightning and do not pose an immediate threat to people or property, firefighters said.