Almost 15 wildfires across the state, caused by humans, kicked off the wildfire season in Alaska this past weekend. One fire came within a mile of Unalakleet on Sunday afternoon.

According to the Alaska Division of Forestry, a snowmachine started a fire on the tundra south of the community around 2:30 pm. Smokejumpers responded to the scene where the fire was burning an estimated 35 acres.

By the time the blaze was put out on Monday at noon, the estimate was up to 196 acres. No injuries or property damage were reported related to this fire.

The Alaska Interagency Coordination Center (AICC) says, as of Monday, a total of 63 fires have burned almost 300 acres throughout the state so far this season.

Image at Top: An aerial overview of a wildfire in southwestern Alaska. Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (2017)