Western Wildfires Update: Gov. Jay Inslee Says Washington Faces "Unprecedented Cataclysm" As Fires Rage Across the Evergreen State

Associated Press
Published: August 20,2015

Multiple blazes are scorching the parched landscape of Washington, leading Gov. Jay Inslee to assert the state faces an "unprecedented cataclysm."
Additional evacuations were ordered in the Evergreen State as a large wildfire advanced further on more towns.
According to KOMO-TV, the entire town of Conconully was evacuated, as were the surrounding areas, due to the advancement of the Twisp fire. That added 1,700 people to the hundreds of residents that had already been ordered to evacuate out of the path of the wildfire in nearby towns.
“The fire came around the hill and there was nothing we could do," resident Conner Kelcher told KOMO-TV. He was ordered to evacuate and said flames were just 500 feet from his home when he left.
A sheriff in north-central Washington state said three firefighters were killed and four more were injured in raging wildfires.
(MORE: Additional Information on the Firefighter Deaths)
Okanogan County Sheriff Frank Rogers confirmed the deaths in a wildfire near Twisp on Wednesday evening. The Forest Service identified the fallen firefighters as Tom Zbyszewski, 20; Andrew Zajac, 26; and Richard Wheeler, 31. Their vehicle flipped during a firefighter and flames overcame them before they could escape.

“I was just told that three firefighters died while battling the Twisp fire and four were injured. My heart breaks over the loss of life," Inslee lamented in a statement. "I know all Washington joins me and Trudi in sending our prayers to the families of these brave firefighters. They gave their lives to protect others. It was their calling, but the loss for their families is immense and I know the community will come together to support them. We will also keep the injured firefighters in our prayers. The conditions throughout the area remain extremely dangerous and I hope residents and visitors will heed evacuation orders or other emergency directions.”
Overnight Wednesday, the Twisp fire exploded in size, according to local reports.

More than 7 million acres have burned in wildfires this year – an area roughly the size of Massachusetts – according to the National Interagency Fire Center. That's nearly double the 10-year average of about 4.48 million acres through Aug. 20.
There are currently dozens of large wildfires burning across the West; here's an update on a few of them.

California

There were 15 wildfires burning in California, with more than 11,000 firefighters on the front lines as crews contend with abnormally high temperatures for the season and drought-stressed fuels that haven't burned in 30 years.
Among the blazes is a fast-moving grass fire that has scorched nearly 4 square miles of dry brush near Livermore. At least one unoccupied home was destroyed in the rural area Wednesday.
(MORE: California's Giant Sequoia at Risk?)
The Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area, a popular motorbike terrain park, was evacuated after the flames were reported Wednesday afternoon. The fire is about 25 percent contained.
A blaze burning for nearly three weeks on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada surged in size in a recreation area outside Kings Canyon National Park where more than 2,500 campers, hikers, employees and residents have been evacuated this week. It has scorched 50 square miles.

Oregon

High winds forecast for an area of eastern Oregon where a wildfire has destroyed three dozen homes have prompted more evacuation orders, officials said Thursday.
Red flag warnings concerning winds that could cause rapid spread of wildfires were posted across central Oregon and into eastern Washington, as the forecast called for a dry cold front with winds gusting to 40 mph from the Cascade crest to the east.
Wind and fire potential were expected to decrease across most of the region during the weekend.
After burning for a week, the fire 150 miles east of Portland was 10 percent contained at 85 square miles, with no date in sight for full containment. Much of the burning has been in Malheur National Forest.
Authorities dispatched more than 250 new people to fight the blaze, increasing personnel to more than 900.
With so many blazes burning across the West, the fire slid from the top of the national wildfire priorities list.

Idaho

Firefighters battling blazes in Idaho braced for tough conditions Thursday with temperatures expected in the 90s along with winds of 25 mph and low humidity.
Nearly 700 firefighters supported by 39 fire engines and aircraft continue to work on a group of fires near Kamiah in northern Idaho that has destroyed 42 homes. But containment is only 30 percent on the fires that have scorched 61 square miles.
In west-central Idaho, federal officials closed a portion of the Payette National Forest due to a 10-square-mile fire burning about 20 miles northwest of McCall.
Local authorities have lifted evacuation notices along the U.S. Highway 95 corridor.
Fire officials say fire lines were bolstered overnight but list the fire as having no containment due to heavy fuel loads in the area and expected strong winds.

Montana

Authorities closed a major transportation corridor on Glacier National Park's southern boundary as crews worked to prevent a wildfire from spreading to the small Montana community of Essex.
The fire was burning in the Great Bear Wilderness, about 2 1/2 miles south of Essex. Embers falling on U.S. highway 2 forced officials to close a 7-mile stretch of the roadway and Burlington Northern Santa Fe's main northern rail line. BNSF officials said an average of 30 to 35 trains a day travel that railway, including passenger trains and cargo trains carrying oil, coal and agricultural products.
Flathead County officials notified 106 residents in and around Essex that they must prepare to leave, recommending they begin loading their cars immediately, county emergency information officer Jennifer Rankosky said.
There are 200 threatened structures, according to fire officials, which include homes and the Izaak Walton Inn. The privately owned lodge was built in 1939 and is an attraction for cross-country skiers and visitors to Glacier park, whose border is just on the other side of the highway.
BNSF officials have brought in a fire suppression train from Spokane, Washington, and 40,000-gallon tanker cars filled with water to protect its property and assist firefighters' efforts, spokesman Matt Jones said. BNSF has a rail yard with equipment next to the Izaak Walton Inn, snow sheds and a bridge over nearby Sheep Creek.