Mark Murray comforts Elaine Elliott moments after they arrived at the remains of their home, which was destroyed by wildfire, in Big Lake, Alaska. The couple is staying in the Big Lake area with their three children in a camper provided through the Red Cross. All their friends had been evacuated. But calmer winds, higher humidity and the arrival of 1,000 firefighters are raising hopes of stopping the raging wildfire that has burned across at least 40,000 acres and destroyed hundreds of homes. "At this moment we're in pretty good shape on this fire," Joe Stam, operations chief for the Alaska Inter-Agency Management Team, said Friday morning. "That doesn't mean we won't need more help later on." About 800 firefighters - many from Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Utah - joined the battle on Thursday and 200 more were due Friday. The new crews join 300 Alaskan volunteers who have been fighting the fire for five days.
