A large wildfire broke out in the community of Chiniak, located 45 miles from the city of Kodiak on Thursday night, lighting up the sky to the southeast of the city.

As of Friday, the fire grew to engulf over 2,ooo acres as it took out the Chiniak library, as well as several homes on King Crab Way in the small community.

Kathy Johnson, of Kodiak, reported on Friday, that high winds, approaching 45 miles per hour, continue to persist and has hampered the Coast Guard’s efforts to overfly the area to evaluate the full extent of the blaze.

Residents of Chiniak have been urged to evacuate the area early Friday morning.

The origin of the fire has yet to be determined.

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  Alaska, chiniak, Coast Guard, evacuation, homes, Kodiak, library, wildfire