Update, 3:25 p.m.:
The Kenai Peninsula Borough has issued an expanded evacuation notice for residents living south of Funny River Road from Mile 11 to the end of the road, borough spokeswoman Brenda Ahlberg wrote in an email.
'Homeowners are being notified by Rapid Notify, door-to-door and updated by radio,' she wrote.
Original story:
A huge wildfire burning on the Kenai Peninsula has grown to more than 123,000 acres Sunday morning, with 20 percent of the fire contained, officials said.
The Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team said the Funny River fire was stoked by strong southwesterly winds for much of Saturday. By 11:30 p.m., when the winds died down, the fire was 123,649 acres.
Winds had decreased by early Sunday afternoon, said Bernie Pineda, a spokesman for the Alaska Fire Service.
'It's not going to be as strong as yesterday. Nonetheless, that's obviously going to test our lines in the north, northeast corner,' Pineda said.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough's Community Emergency Services expanded an evacuation watch to 'include the east side of the Sterling Highway to Funny River Road, and the south side of Funny River Road' for residents in Kasilof and Soldotna, the Alaska Interagency Incident Management team said in an update. 'This advisory encourages residents to prepare in case they may need to leave their homes.'
As of Sunday, 457 firefighters were assigned to the fire, Pineda said. While fire lines were holding, much work was left to be done, he said.
'We're far from getting too confident that we're around the corner from buttoning this thing up,' Pineda said.
Meanwhile, a different fire that started on May 19 and has burned between the villages of Tyonek and Beluga, on the western side of Cook Inlet, was holding steady at 1,906 acres on Sunday, the Department of Natural Resources said in a release. That fire had not grown significantly in the last 24 hours.
The National Weather Service says rainfall is expected in much of Southcentral Alaska on Monday, including the areas where wildfires are burning.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Reach Michelle Theriault Boots at mtheriault@adn.com or 257-4344.
Posted by Unknown on Sunday, May 25, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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