CAMP DENALI, Alaska --- A small team of emergency management professionals kept a watchful eye on the numerous fires north and south of Anchorage over the weekend.

"Our State Emergency Coordination Center (S-E-C-C) staff extended their hours of operation, staying open through the weekend, in order to share timely, vital information with a number of emergency mangers, fire fighters, State officials and the public," says Major Mike Haller, spokesman for the Division of Emergency Services. "When you consider the current breadth of fires across our State, and the very serious potential for more (fires) in the coming days, our need to obtain and share information is extremely important," he adds.

"The State Emergency Coordination Center team assured support from the Alaska Army and Air National Guard to fight the Kenai Lake Fire. The Guard sent two UH-60L Blackhawk helicopters with waterbuckets to assist in the operation, along a with a fuel truck; and the Air Guard provided a Crash-Rescue Truck and four member crew to the airfield where the hub air operations were located," he says.

Haller added his voice of caution to the use of the fireworks during the Independence Day holiday weekend underscoring the need for safety and keeping the law. He notes that, "much of our State has been a tinder box for the past several months. We need to play safe, so that we can all have a good holiday and focus on what Independence really means - the privilege of living in a wonderful State and a great nation."