Lack of snow, winds fuel Alaska’s first wildfire of 2016

A lack of snow in interior Alaska helped the state’s first wildfire of 2016 to burn on open tundra.

The Alaska Division of Forestry says in a statement that the fire started and was extinguished Monday on military land about 10 miles south of Delta Junction.

The agency says the fire was started by live-fire training. Firefighters from the Fort Greely Fire Department extinguished the fire.

Officials didn’t know how many acres were burned, and planned to travel to the site Tuesday to determine the size of the fire.

The lack of snow cover and winds of 25 mph helped the fire spread, and smoke was visible from Delta Junction.

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