This HTML code snippet contains a news article about a wildfire near the entrance to Denali National Park and Preserve, which forced the temporary closure of the park due to safety concerns.This HTML code snippet contains a news article about a wildfire near the entrance to Denali National Park and Preserve, which forced the temporary closure of the park due to safety concerns. The article includes: – The headline: “Fire closes national park” – The subheadline: “A wildfire raging near the entrance to Denali National Park and Preserve forced the temporary closure of one of Alaska’s most popular tourist destinations on Monday.” – The dateline: “Mark Thiessen, The Associated Press – Jul 1, 2024 / 11:29 AM | Story: 495131” – The article body: – Information about the park’s closure, including restrictions on access and activities. – Details about the wildfire, including its location, size, and progress. – Efforts by firefighters and aircraft to control the fire. – Potential weather patterns that could impact the fire. – Statistics on wildfires in Alaska this year. – A photograph of smokejumpers responding to the wildfire, attributed to Bradley Hagstrom of the National Park Service.
Fire closes national park
Mark Thiessen, The Associated Press – Jul 1, 2024 / 11:29 AM | Story: 495131
Photo: Information about Alaska wildfires
Smokejumpers pack up their gear as another descends while responding to the Riley Fire near the entrance to Denali National Park Sunday afternoon. Photo by Bradley Hagstrom, National Park Service
A wildfire raging near the entrance to Denali National Park and Preserve forced the temporary closure of one of Alaska’s most popular tourist destinations on Monday.
Cars were turned around at the park’s only entrance, tour buses were canceled and public facilities, including the visitors center, were closed in the park, which is about a five-hour drive north of Anchorage.
Trails were also closed on Sunday, as were campgrounds for both existing and new preserves, the park service said in a statement. About 150 National Park Service employees housed in a facility near the fire were evacuated, park spokesman Paul Ollig said in an email. An evacuation center was set up in the nearby town of Healy.
About 50 firefighters and aircraft dropping retardant and water kept the fire under control north of the park entrance, the Bureau of Land Management’s Alaska Fire Service said in an update late Sunday.
The fire, burning in black spruce trees, was reported Sunday about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) north of the entrance to the national park, home to Denali, the tallest mountain on the North American continent. The forest fire was estimated to be about half a square mile (1.3 kilometers) in size.
The fire is burning on the west side of the Nenana River, which separates the fire from the national park.
Officials said there were no immediate threats to structures. The Denali Borough said on its website that the fire is burning northwest, further into the park, and away from a highway tourist area commonly called Glitter Gulch, which includes hotels, gift shops and restaurants.
The weather could help firefighters somewhat, with cooler temperatures and a chance of isolated thunderstorms expected later Monday. A strong low pressure area is expected to bring westerly winds on Tuesday, followed by cooler and wetter weather, fire officials said.
As of Monday, 309 wildfires have burned nearly 672 square miles (1,740 square kilometers) so far this year in Alaska, the nation’s largest state. Seventeen of those fires started in the past day.
