Hot, Dry Weather Triggers Wildfires, Floods in Alaska

Swathes of Alaska are under a red flag alert from weather institutions as wildfires burn across the state.

Flood advisories have also been issued in some areas as snowmelts trigger rising waters.

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Red flag warnings are currently in effect for the following areas:

• Fairbanks Metro Area
• Sothern Slopes of the Western Brooks Range and Upper Kobuk Valleys
• White Mountains, High Terrain of the Yukon River, Fortymile Country, Tanana Flats, and Two Rivers
• Southern Slopes of the Central Brooks Range, Upper Koyukuk Valley, and Dalton Highway Summits
• Yukon Flats
• Southern Slopes of the Eastern Brooks Range

Dense smoke advisories have also been issued for the Fairbanks Metro Area, Tanana Flats, Nenana, Eielson AFB and Salcha.

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Newsweek contacted the Alaska Fire Service for more information.

The National Weather Service said frequent lightning can promote new fire starts and that the hot, dry conditions may lead to the rapid spread of fires.

Some areas of the state may continue to be on alert over the next three days.

According to the NWS, a red flag warning means that conditions are occurring or may occur that could stimulate large and dangerous fires. It urges people in the affected areas to be extremely careful with open flames.

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Ready, a national public service campaign designed to inform the public about emergencies and disasters, advises people to pay attention to emergency alerts, formulate a plan for a speedy evacuation if necessary, use fire resistant materials if needed, and to be aware of and prepared for air quality alerts.

"It's fire season here in Alaska. We are all aware of this reality across our state, and I urge everyone to stay up to date on the fires and smoke advisories in your area," Alaska senator Lisa Murkowski said on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday.

Firefighting crews from California have been called in to assist the ongoing efforts across the state.

The NWS has also issued flood advisories for Susitna Valley, Haines Borough and Klukwan.

It said warm daytime and overnight temperatures continued the melting of high elevation snowpack and glacier ice to produce minor flooding along the Chilkat River.

Minor flooding is expected through the week along the Skwentna and Yentna Rivers and surrounding low-lying areas as snowmelt caused additional rises.

Earlier in June, a sizable wildfire north of Los Angeles triggered the evacuation of more than 1,000 people and burned almost 15,000 acres.

Wildfires can start through human activities and natural causes. Natural causes include lightning strikes, which can ignite dry vegetation and initiate a fire. Human activities can include unattended campfires, discarded cigarette butts, equipment sparks and deliberate acts of arson​.

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