It appears that the hot and dry conditions in Alaska’s interior are continuing to cultivate conditions ripe for wildland forest fires. Having just missed a potentially house-threatening fire a week ago, another nearby fire started by lightning in the Murphy Dome area, not too far from Moose Mountain (although not-too-far does have different meaning following the Moose Mountain fire). Yesterday, after seeing a plume forming in the distance, I went to a vantage point and took a few token shots of the aerial assault on the fire, which included water and retardant drops by planes and helicopters working the area. These are a few images that reveal the state of the fire as of yesterday around 5pm. Updates can be found through the INCI web portal.