Lightning strikes light Alaskan fires across the state

A late season fire bust has state and federal response agencies scrambling across the interior.
A few hot dry days paired with over 25 thousand lightning strikes and Alaska is on fire.
“Produced over 80 new fires around the state,” said Division of Forestry spokesman Tim Mowry.
Mowry said what had been a wimpy fire season is now looking eerily similar to last summer, when abundant lightning sparked blazes that charred over 5 million acres. This year’s bust comes as state a