Martin Stuefer

This year’s Alaska fire season is moving toward a record for acres burned. This week’s heavy wildfire smoke in Fairbanks is forecast to persist through the weekend, as several large blazes including the 11,000-acre Minto Lakes fire north of town remain active due to hot, dry weather. That’s raised questions about where the smoke will be next, and how to handle the health risks.

University of Alaska Fairbanks scientists are making use of an instrumentation tower that was set for removal. As KUAC’s Dan Bross reports, the tower is…