Smoke Lifting Over Washington Fires

Wildfires in Washington state have resulted in elevated concentrations of fine particulate matter over parts of southern B.C.

With the smoke now affecting the most populated areas of the state, health officials are warning people to take precautions.

Out-of-control blazes in north-central Washington have destroyed buildings, but the situation is so chaotic that authorities have “no idea” how many homes may have been lost.

Three officers and 33 firefighters from B.C. and were briefed Sunday and started working on the northern flank of the Stickpin fire.

By itself, the mammoth Okanogan complex of blazes has surpassed 244,000 acres – as much land as was scorched by the Carlton complex last summer.

The complex of fires was estimated to be about 10 percent contained as of Sunday morning, fire spokesman Dan Omdal said.

Blazes in Washington state that killed three firefighters and injured four others continued to explode in size, while other fires charged toward populated areas in several states.

More than 150 firefighters and others are on the scene there, focusing Sunday on protecting structures in the towns of Newhalem and Diablo, as well as North Cascades National Park infrastructure, officials said.

In addition to the Testalinden fire, Skrepnek said, “there’s probably a few areas where we’ve had to temporarily ground our aircraft, just because the visibility is so poor”.

Large wildfires are now blazing across 10 US states, with active fires burning 526,000ha. It means Rather, it has run out of fuel to burn in that area.

“We have a herculean amount of work ahead of us”, he said.

The crews fighting the massive Okanogan Complex wildfires are under such tremendous pressure that fire officials are training volunteers with heavy equipment to help extinguish the giant fires that now cover 355 square miles.

A fireplace that has burned for nearly three weeks on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada grew to 73½ sq. miles close to Kings Canyon Nationwide Park and was bearing down on well-liked Hume Lake.

Fire spokeswoman Suzanne Flory says there could be some explosive fire growth Sunday if a cap of smoke lifts from Okanogan County, as has been forecast.

The good news for Sunday is that less smoke means restrictions on air travel will be lifted and more fire tankers can drop water and chemical retardant, Flory said.

Meanwhile, local officials have downgraded some evacuation notices, allowing some people to return to their homes. Sarah Miller, a spokeswoman with Okanogan County Emergency Management, says residents have been warned to stay ready to leave at any time and to not drive around looking at the fires.

Otherwise in Washington, a new firefighting mobilization center is being set up at Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane to help fight wildfires.

The resources are made possible after the Obama Administration approved Gov. Jay Inslee’s request for a federal emergency declaration.

National Guard Blackhawk helicopters from Colorado, Minnesota and Wyoming headed over, Inslee’s office said in a statement.

The wildfire has burned across more than 73 square miles of timber and brush left parched by the state’s extended drought.