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Huge fire near Nenana, Alaska still rages out of control - 58,000 acres and growing

A huge fire in Alaska grew to 58,000 acres Wednesday as it changed course away from the city of Nenana and headed toward the town of Anderson. But the fire was still about four miles away from Anderson and was not considered a threat to the town, said fire information officer Tom Kempton with the interagency incident management team.

The strategy was to try and move the head of the fire into an area that burned in 2001, thereby starving the fire of fuels and slowing it down, he said. Kempton said a wind shift expected Thursday had firefighters concerned. If the wind did shift, it would steer the fire in a more southerly direction and toward an area of between 30 and 40 homes, he said.

A wind shift also would increase the smoke around Healy and Denali National Park and Preserve, he said.

"We're doing everything possible to protect the structures on the south end of this fire now," Paul Slenkamp, spokesman for the Alaska Division of Forestry, said Tuesday. "It's still far from contained."

Anderson is 75 miles southwest of Fairbanks.

Traffic on the Parks Highway and the Alaska Railroad was moving Wednesday. Motorists were being advised to drive no faster than 35 mph in the area near the fire.

Officials did not immediately call for evacuations in the Anderson area. "Contingency plans are being evaluated," Slenkamp said.

Meanwhile, Nenana residents who had voluntarily evacuated have returned to their homes.

"The people who left their homes or living arrangements went back," said Larry Baillon, Tanana Valley Red Cross district director. "The fire conditions in and around Nenana have improved considerably."

The loss from the fire remained at a handful of houses and cabins.

The fire started when a resident along the Parks Highway dumped hot ash into the woods. The person has been cited, but the charge has not been filed and the Division of Forestry is withholding the person's name. The person has received death threats that officials are investigating.