More than 200 people worked to keep a 1,000-acre wildfire from growing Monday as it continued to burn close to the Interior village of Tetlin, according to the Division of Forestry.
The fire did not grow between Sunday and Monday, but the number of personnel fighting it more than doubled in size to about 230 personnel from eight different Alaska fire crews, said Division of Forestry spokesman Tim Mowry.
Firefighters on Monday put in containment lines around the fire's perimeter as cooler and cloudier weather aided their efforts. They focused on securing the fire's northern edge, which burned less than a mile away from the village and bumped up against the community's airstrip, on the outskirts of town, Mowry said.
"The airstrip is sort of a natural barrier, so they're able to work off of that," he said. "I think the village is pretty secure unless the winds do something really wicked."
Mowry said the fire threatened about 120 buildings in Tetlin and by Monday, no evacuations had been ordered for residents.
The fire was first reported Friday and is burning 20 miles south of Tok.
Mowry said fire officials believe the fire is human-caused, and what specifically started it remains under investigation.