NATION : Fire Threatens Alaskan Tundra
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Dozens of Prudhoe Bay oil-field workers were evacuated after a fire broke out in a warehouse and threatened to engulf a nitrogen-processing plant, authorities said today.
Officials of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation said they were worried that the fire could cause chemicals to spill on the tundra, the delicate Arctic layer of plants that can take years to regenerate.
Occupancy of the Prudhoe Bay Hotel, about 4 miles from the fire, swelled to about 500 people, up from the usual 260, acting manager Staci Bolley said today.
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