"Willow wildfire grows to nearly 1,100 acres as state requests Anchorage, Outside help..."
It takes a village and then some to pull together to fight large wildfires. On the community side, resident and business cooperation and early evacuation can lead to less headaches for fire and safety personnel. Fire suppression support can come from other regions, spanning the 48 lower states (and sometimes from Hawaii, as well.) Even evacuation planning for pets can go a long way...
"Homes were being evacuated and fire crews from the lower 48 states were racing to a wildfire north of Anchorage, Alaska, that grew to 6,500 acres in just hours, authorities said Monday."
Residents began fleeing from a voluntary evacuation area covering both sides of a 15-mile stretch of the George Parks Highway. As of Sunday evening, more than 200 people had signed into one evacuation center near Talkeetna. But the total number of evacuations wasn't immediately available.
About 25 'primary structures,' including homes, have been destroyed by the fire, Sam Harrel, spokesman of BLM Alaska Fire Services, said Monday.
The entire Matanuska-Susitna Borough Fire Department was at the scene, along with crews and helicopters from Anchorage, Fairbanks, Kenai, White Mountain, Alaska Fire Services and the Forestry Division. They totaled about 200, with another 100, and at least 10 hotshot crews from other states, on their way, officials said. Another three Alaska Air National Guard Blackhawk helicopters to help with bucket work on the fire.