Published: August 28,2015
At least 472 square miles of land have been burned by the Okanogan fires, which were only 12 percent contained on Friday.
The wind-whipped and drought-fueled fire has destroyed at least 45 homes, 49 cabins and 60 outbuildings, and three firefighters have died battling the blaze. A memorial service was planned Sunday in Wenatchee.
(MORE: Air Quality Worse in Some Northwestern Towns Than Beijing)
Vacationers retreat as smoke from deadly U.S. wildfires blankets #Okanagan http://ow.ly/RvHf4 #bcwildfire
However, lightning and high winds predicted for the weekend could spread the flames, she said.
The fire was just five miles from merging with a 281-square-mile wildfire north of Nespelem, Hellstrom said.
Meanwhile, a wildfire burning in Stevens County north of Spokane grew almost 15 square miles overnight after jumping a containment line and stood at 87 square miles. That fire was about 25 percent contained.
"The winds, terrain and vegetation have created the potential for large growth," fire officials said in a press release.
With wind gusts expected to reach 20 mph, firefighters were concerned the blaze could threaten homes.
Meanwhile, high fire danger prompted the U.S. Forest Service to close an area north of Highway 2 that includes a major portion of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest from f the Columbia River to the crest of the Cascade Range.
All the fires burning in eastern Washington were hurting air quality. Readings were hazardous in Republic, Omak and Nespelem, and unhealthy in Colville, Wellpinit and Davenport.
More than 7.7 million acres have burned in wildfires this year, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. That's well above the 10-year average of about 5.4 million acres through Aug. 28.
There are currently dozens of large wildfires burning across the West; here's an update on a few of them.
Oregon
Structural fire crews returned to protect homes on a wildfire in eastern Oregon as National Guard and other fire crews worked to reinforce lines against winds forecast to be gusting up to 40 mph.The Canyon Creek Complex fire, which has destroyed more than three dozen homes, covered 135 square miles Friday. The blaze is located south of John Day mostly on the Malheur National Forest.
Idaho
People in west-central Idaho near Riggins have been told to evacuate due to a wildfire that expanded to 40 square miles. Nearly 600 firefighters were working to protect structures along U.S. Highway 95 and the Salmon River.An ancient cedar grove appears to have survived a wildfire that burned through northern Idaho, leaving officials optimistic about the chances a similar stand in Montana will survive.
The Spokesman-Review reports that firefighters set up a sprinkler system at the Settler's Grove near Eagle, but crews were forced to leave before setup was complete.
An Idaho Panhandle National Forests spokeswoman says on Wednesday it looked like the low-burning fire spared the trees, which are centuries old.
Alaska
Additional
firefighting crews were expected to arrive Friday to help battle a
wind-whipped wildfire that prompted evacuation orders for a small Kodiak
Island community and destroyed a library and some other properties.
The
fire erupted Thursday in Chiniak (chihn-ee-AHK'), which is about 10
miles southeast of Kodiak on the easternmost point of Kodiak Island.
Kodiak Fire Chief Jim Mullican told KMXT radio (http://bit.ly/1LH6A8z )
the fire was burning out of control.
The cause of the
blaze wasn't immediately clear. There also was no immediately reliable
estimate for its size, Kodiak City Manager Aimee Kniaziowski told the
station.
Police said the library had burned down and some properties had been destroyed.Montana
Firefighters cut down trees and turned on sprinklers Friday after authorities emptied the community of Essex and turned back traffic where a wildfire had spread close to a highway along the southern edge of Glacier National Park.The 1.7-square-mile wildfire crossed a key ridge south of Essex on Thursday, prompting Flathead County authorities to order evacuations and later close an eight-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 2.
Of the more than 200 buildings threatened by the fire, 106 were year-round and vacation residences, including the Izaak Walton Inn.
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