Wildfires in Anchorage? Climate change sparks disaster fears

By MARK THIESSEN
Associated Press

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Research on a flat spot for air evacuations. Talk of old-style civil defense sirens to warn of fast-moving wildfires. Hundreds of urban firefighters training in wildland firefighting techniques while snow blankets the ground. This is the new reality in Anchorage, where a series of recent wildfires and the hottest day on record have sparked fears that a warming climate could translate into serious blazes like those in the rest of the American West. The risk is particularly high in the fast-growing Anchorage Hillside neighborhood, where multi-million dollar homes have pushed up steep slopes to the forest’s edge. Now, officials in the area are preparing for the worst during a time of growing climate uncertainty.