An evacuation alert was also issued Friday for residents of the Lower Salcha River, from river mile 3 to 40. The Middle Salcha remains under a SET status, from river

The smoke is from numerous wildfires burning in Canada’s Yukon Territory.

“This is the first time that we’ve sent a crew to Canada in May,” said Lily Coyle with the Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Twenty-three of the 25 fires so far this year were ignited by human activity. While this year’s heavy snowpack and cold spring pushed back the start to fire season in many parts of the state, climate change is generally causing an earlier snowmelt, said climatologist Rick Thoman.

As Western wildfires get more destructive, scientists are finding a far-off connection to shrinking ice on the Arctic Ocean.

Alaska fire officials brace for hotter, more intense fire seasons to come.