In brief: Growing Alaska fire spurs evacuations
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A massive wildfire pushed by wind in Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula south of Anchorage continued to explode in size, leading to mandatory evacuations of 1,000 structures, officials said Sunday.
The number of people told to flee their homes isn’t clear, said Michelle Weston, spokeswoman with the Alaska Interagency Management Team.
Officials said that as of 4 p.m., the fire covered nearly 243 square miles and may continue to grow as it burns in the 1.9 million-acre Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.
The Funny River fire is named after a nearby road where all residents were being evacuated. Alaska State Troopers were going door to door, evacuating an area that’s mostly second homes and is home to many retirees.
No injuries were reported, and it’s unclear if any buildings were damaged.
Containment on Arizona fire inches up
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Officials said Sunday that they were slowly making progress in controlling a wildfire burning in a northern Arizona canyon.
The fire covered 21 square miles and is 25 percent contained, up from 5 percent the day before.
“It will still be a lot of work to be done before those (containment) numbers will increase significantly,” fire spokesman Rico Smith said.
The Slide fire has grown in the last two days as crews set fires to rob the blaze of its natural forest fuels.
The human-caused fire has been burning since Tuesday around Oak Creek Canyon, a scenic recreation area along the highway between Sedona and Flagstaff.
Smith said fire officials expect to lift a pre-evacuation warning at noon today for the 3,200 residents of Forest Highlands and Kachina Village east of the canyon. Mandatory evacuations will likely remain in place in Oak Creek Canyon from Slide Rock State Park to Sterling Springs Hatchery.
No homes have been destroyed.
Crews rush to Colorado mudslide
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Emergency crews rushed to a large mudslide in western Colorado in Mesa County Sunday night where three people may be missing.
The slide struck Sunday on Grand Mesa near the town of Collbran, about 40 miles east of Grand Junction, according to media reports.
The Grand Junction Sentinel said both the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office and Collbran authorities have responded to the slide, which is along Salt Creek Road near Vega State Park. The Denver Post said authorities estimate the slide to be 2 miles wide
The Sheriff’s Office said there are reports of three people missing.
The Post said no structures were reported damaged and no major roads affected.
The Sheriff’s Office said that the person who reported the slide at about 6:15 p.m. MDT “described hearing a noise that sounded much like a freight train.”
Heavy rain has fallen in the area this weekend.
Woman receives 75-years-late degree
CONCORD, N.H. – A 99-year-old Maine woman has graduated from college 75 years after a $5 fee kept her from getting her diploma on time.
Beal College in Bangor awarded Jessie White her degree during a special ceremony on Friday hosted by Alan Stehle, the college’s president.
White told ABC News the special ceremony was wonderful and a lot of fun.
White was supposed to graduate in 1939, but couldn’t afford the $5 transcript fee.
A friend who recently learned of her decades-old predicament called Stehle, who paid her balance and set up the ceremony.
White, a Maine native, received her degree in stenography and bookkeeping.