Dozens of homes destroyed by wildfires

An enormous forest fire started by tool sparks has destroyed dozens of homes and cabins on the scenic Kenai Peninsula south of Anchorage, Alaska.

The blaze blackened about 78 square miles or 50,000 acres, forestry officials said.

The fire had destroyed 30 homes and seasonal cabins and 40 other buildings, according to the State Division of Forestry. Another 600 homes and cabins were threatened and an evacuation order was in effect for the area.

Officials did not know how many people had left their homes because many of the structures are only used seasonally.

The fire was started on Tuesday by sparks falling onto dry grass from a grinder being used to sharpen a shovel, officials said.

Some 250 firefighters were at work on the blaze and more crews were being brought in from other states.

The picturesque peninsula, where tourists flock to take whale and glacier cruises and anglers cast for salmon alongside bears, sits between Anchorage and the Gulf of Alaska.

Elsewhere, six buildings – holiday homes and commercial properties – were threatened by a fire in the Lewis and Clark National Forest in Montana.

Firefighters reported progress in their battle against a 150-acre wildfire near Reno, Nevada, that had burned within 200 yards of upscale homes, a Reno city spokesman said.

He said crews hoped to contain the brush fire.