Alaska Fires Char Permafrost, Stretch Resources Thin

Published July 27, 2015 at 12:20 PM EDT

In this June 17, 2015 photo from the Alaska Army National Guard, a “Bambi Bucket,” hanging from an ANG Black Hawk helicopter releases hundreds of gallons of water onto the Stetson Creek Fire near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Sgt. Balinda O’Neal/U.S. Army National Guard via AP)

It’s been an unprecedented start to Alaska’s fire season. Hundreds of wildfires are burning there, blackening nearly 5 million acres of the state, and spreading the local resources thin. Nathan Rott has been covering this for NPR and joins Here & Now’s Peter O’Dowd.

Guest

Nathan Rott, reporter and producer for NPR. He tweets @NathanRott.

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.