Wildfire scorches nearly 80,000 acres in Alaska

ալյասկա

 

A days-long wildfire had covered more than 78,000 acres of Alaska’s Kenai National Wildlife Refuge by early Saturday, a state agency said.

The Funny River Fire began burning Monday evening and was 20% contained by early Saturday, Alaska’s Interagency Incident Management Team said.

No evacuations or injuries have been reported. There were more than 409 firefighters battling the blaze.

Officials say access to the fire is difficult. Investigators suspect human action was the cause, but this is still under investigation.

The refuge is in Soldotna, south of Anchorage.

Kenai Peninsula Borough Spokesman Brad Nelson said there are two subdivisions in the area of the fire. The combined population of these localities is approximately 5,000 residents.

 

 Անկախ

Stubbs the cat, Alaska town mayor, mauled by dog

stubbs-the-cat-mayor-of-talkeetnaHe’s a beloved mayor, who’s held the top office in Talkeetna, Alaska, for 16 years. So imagine the townfolks’ shock when he was attacked.

Brutally mauled.

By a dog.

Oh, did we mention, this mayor’s a cat?

Mayor Stubbs, a yellow tabby with more responsibility than your average cat, survived — but is in bad shape.

A punctured lung. A fractured sternum. A 5-inch gash on his side.

Doctors took out a chest tube Tuesday, and he was breathing on his own for the first time since the weekend attack.

The story of how Mayor Stubbs rose to power made international news after he was found in a box full of kittens in front of Nagley’s General Store in town.

Stubbs was strolling about the town Saturday night as he does every night, when an unleashed dog came running across the street and bit into him.

Stubbs’ medical bills could top $2,000, Stec said.