Western wildfires: Wind, heat, dry land fueling large blazes

[Psalm 51:17]

http://news.yahoo.com/western-wildfires-wind-heat-dry-land-fueling-large-163106757.html#
Western wildfires: Wind, heat, dry land fueling large blazes
8/16/15

Sunday ushered in calmer weather across the West, aiding firefighters who worked to contain flames fed by drought conditions and whipped up by wind and heat.

Firefighters across the Pacific Northwest are working to protect property from fast-moving wildfires that destroyed multiple homes in eastern Oregon, cut off power in Washington and forced thousands of evacuations throughout the region. A 70-year-old woman in Idaho died while preparing to flee as a wildfire expanded east of Lewiston.

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[Psalm 51:17]

http://news.yahoo.com/washington-state-being-consumed-slow-motion-disaster-205239897.html
Washington state is being consumed by a 'slow-motion disaster'
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is traveling to the frontline to visit the firefighters battling some of the worst fires the state has ever seen.
8/27/15

A “slow-motion disaster” is devouring Washington state.

That's how Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) described the wildfires burning up his state during a press conference in Chelan, Wash., Thursday, before traveling to the fire lines to address crews fighting the blazes that have destroyed an area nearly the size of Rhode Island this season.

Governor Inslee expressed his gratitude to the Washington crews, as well as the 71 firefighters who have come to help from as far as Australia and New Zealand, and the closer-to-home 200 active-duty troops who were dispatched from a base in Tacoma, Wash.

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"They know they're in danger and this danger is persistent," he said.

Inslee said the fires were more spread out across the state than last year and so far had burned about 1,144 square miles.

"This is not just a local fire, it's a statewide slow-motion disaster," Inslee said.

MG Bret Daugherty, who commands the Washington National Guard, was traveling with Inslee. He said there were about 1,000 National Guard troops helping firefighting efforts, including 200 on the fire lines. As many as 1,300 firefighters are working to stop the blazes, with about 17 percent of the fire contained as of this writing.

This year has been one of the worst fire seasons on record in the United States, with some 11,600 square miles burned so far. It's the most area destroyed by this date in a decade.

So far, officials have counted 40 homes and 40 outbuildings destroyed by the Okanogan blaze, just south of the Canadian border, the largest fire ever recorded in the state.

"You can imagine how stretched thin everybody is," said Dan Dallas, deputy incident commander of the Okanogan fire. "We're all working without the resources that in a normal year – which I don't think there is such a thing anymore – that we might have."

Dense smoke has been a problem for crews east of the Cascade Range battling fires by helicopter and airplane. Those massive fires have grounded aid aircraft.

Crews battling a 262-square mile blaze near the town of Republic, south of the Canadian border, were also dealing with smoke as well as flames, according to fire spokesman Donnie Davis.

In Spokane County, which has nearly 500,000 residents, the air quality was deemed unhealthy, causing respiratory problems even for people far from the fire lines.

[Psalm 51:17]

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2015/09/08/California-wildfire-grows-to-nearly-100000-acres-mandatory-evacuation-in-place/5371441702999/
9/8/15
California wildfire grows to nearly 100,000 acres, mandatory evacuation in place

FRESNO, Calif., Sept. 8 (UPI) -- Firefighters issued mandatory evacuation orders for Fresno County late Monday as California's largest wildfire, located in the Sierra Nevada, grew to nearly 100,000 acres.

The so-called Rough fire, burning east of Fresno, has spread to 95,183 acres, or nearly 149 square miles. As of late Monday, 1,940 crew were working to get it under control. It is 31 percent contained.

One firefighter, who was not identified, was burned while battling the blaze early Monday. He was taken to a local hospital where he was in stable condition.

In the span of just a few hours, the blaze grew some 10,000 acres. Sunday, it was 86,000 acres, and by Monday, the U.S. Forest Service reported it was more than 95,000 acres. The campgrounds at Kings Canyon National Park were closed.

With the mandatory evacuation order, residents were urged to leave their homes as the blaze approached. Residents who leave their homes, return and then refuse to leave again could face a misdemeanor, officials said. Those who choose to stay will not face any charges.

"This is a fluid situation and there is no time table for when these mandatory evacuations will be lifted," the Fresno County Sheriff's Office told residents.

The Rough fire started July 31 from a lightning strike. In the past weeks, low humidity, unpredictable winds and high temperatures have helped fan the flames. The cost of battling the blaze has exceeded $67 million.