20 firefighters from Delaware continue to battle a wildfire in central Alaska which has grown to more than 82,000 acres. They are part of a multi-state group that, since the weekend, has nearly tripled in size to 734 personnel.
The Stuart Creek 2 Fire is burning about 25 miles east of the town of North Pole, Alaska and about 40 miles east of Fairbanks - and is now 15 percent contained.
According to the Eastern Area Coordination Center, the First State firefighters will be joining with a crew from Maryland to focus on structure protection at the north end of the blaze.
Delaware’s crew departed for Alaska last Friday from Blackbird State Forest. Officials believe an Army artillery exercise accidentally started the fire on June 25.
At 128 square miles, the fire is roughly 5 percent the land mass of Delaware.
Photo: Firefighter Jon Stave, of Newark, DE, pulls the rain fly over his tent as crews fighting Stuart Creek 2 Fire set up camp Monday evening.
Photo courtesy: Sam Harrel/News-Miner, Fairbanks, Alaska