Hundreds of people, sled dogs evacuated to escape Alaska wildfire

About 600 people and numerous sled dogs were evacuated as a massive wildfire threatened homes in communities northeast of Fairbanks, Alaska, state and federal fire management officials said on Monday. The Stuart Creek 2 fire, whipped by strong winds, expanded about 25 percent over the weekend to more than 100 square miles (259 sq km) as of Monday morning, according to InciWeb, the inter-agency fire information website run by the U.S. Forest Service. The flames, which were spreading to the north and northwest, threatened about 750 homes and about 150 other structures, and officials issued an evacuation order affecting about 600 residents on Sunday afternoon.