Near Flagstaff , Arizona ( CNN ) -- As one of hundreds of evacuees in Arizona 's raging wildfire , Serena Chesmore valued family over home . She ensured the safety of the most precious things in the world : her family and pets . Her house in Kachina Village , after all , is replaceable , Chesmore said Friday . `` The kids , the pets , the photos -- they ca n't be replaced , '' Chesmore said . Chesmore is hoping , nonetheless , that 960 firefighters will be able to save her house and 300 other homes and businesses from an Arizona forest fire roaring through park land . She made an early jump on a pre-evacuation notice given to about 3,200 residents in Coconino County . The online Incident Information System reported Friday night that much of the fire burned with lower intensity throughout the day , allowing firefighters to make some progress . However , despite that progress , the total area scorched climbed to 8,500 acres that night , and the containment level held steady at 5 % . The equivalent of a battalion of firefighters , including 15 hotshot crews and three air tankers , have been fighting the fire between Flagstaff and Sedona -- a tourist and retirement destination famed for its red rock formations -- since Tuesday afternoon . Firefighters face rough conditions . Tony Sciacca , a fire incident commander , says it 's been an uphill battle for the firefighters battling the blaze . `` They 're engaged in tough terrain , cutting vegetation , applying fire to the landscape as they need to in burnout operations , '' Sciacca said . Area residents took to Facebook on Friday to thank them . `` Thank you again for your tireless work on this monster , '' Mavis Kimball posted to the Slide Fire Information Facebook page . `` We who call this place home so appreciate you . '' `` So thankful the best of the best are here on the Slide Fire , '' wrote Terry Schneider . Dust-dry pine needles , high winds and steep slopes have made for ideal conditions for the fire to spread rapidly , fire officials say . And it has . The flames that investigators fear were ignited by human hands appear to have consumed hundreds of acres in a few hours ' time , according to officials . The wind has blasted vigorously and erratically through fiery gulches , with gusts up to 30 mph , but has not blown towards the populated Flagstaff area . Alaska wildfire . Meanwhile , in Alaska , a much larger fire that began burning Monday was 15 % contained by Friday evening , Alaska 's Interagency Incident Management Team said . The Funny River Fire had consumed nearly 67,084 acres of Alaska 's Kenai National Wildlife Refuge by Friday night . It has so far posed less of a threat to humans than the one burning in Arizona : no evacuations or injuries have been reported . There were more than 370 firefighters battling the blaze . Officials say access to the fire is difficult . Investigators suspect human action was the cause , but this is still under investigation . What to know about wildfires . 17-year-old appears in juvenile court in California wildfires case . CNN 's Ana Cabrera reported from Arizona . Ben Brumfield reported from Atlanta and Michael Martinez reported and wrote from Los Angeles . CNN 's Steve Almasy and Shawn Nottingham also contributed to this report .
Fire has scorched up to 30 mph near the Slide Fire Information Facebook since three days . Dust-dry pine needles , high winds and steep slopes make for ideal fire conditions . 300 of homes , businesses are threatened and have been evacuated . The blaze is 15 % contained three days after it was first reported .