Wildfires

Wildfires - USA

Alaska

A rapidly growing Alaskan wildfire that has burned 151 square miles in the Kenai Peninsula was threatening about 150 cabins, vacation homes and year-round residents in three communities on Saturday, fire officials said.

Authorities couldn't estimate how many people have been told to be ready to leave their residences because many of the buildings in the area are vacation homes.

The Funny Ridge Fire burning in the 1.9-million-acre Kenai National Wildlife Refuge was 20 percent contained as of Saturday morning, Weston said. The fire grew by nearly 29 square miles between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. Friday.

About 409 firefighters are assigned to the fire, which was one of several large wildfires burning in Alaska. They are getting help from an Oregon fire crew and some water scoopers have been flown in from Alberta, Canada.

Arizona

A wildfire burning in rugged terrain in a northern Arizona canyon grew significantly because of fires intentionally set by crews to rob the blaze of its natural forest fuels, officials said Saturday.

Crews have mostly completed burnout operations on the key northern flank of the Slide Fire and are preparing to make similar protection efforts on the fire's western end. The burnout operations conducted Friday night by fire crews contributed to the heavy smoke over Sedona and Flagstaff.