Nation IN BRIEF : ALASKA : Officials Say Wildfire Is 60% Contained

Light rain and cooler temperatures helped about 1,200 firefighters as they brought the devastating Big Lake-area wildfire to 60% containment, Alaska forestry officials said. The blaze, which has destroyed 344 structures and seriously damaged 18 more, has swept through 37,330 acres in the state’s fast-growing Matanuska-Susitna Borough north of Anchorage, officials in Anchorage said. Damage to buildings was estimated at about $10 million, while the cost of suppressing the fire has been pegged at $12 million. Meanwhile, another wildfire on the Kenai Peninsula had spread to 23,000 acres.