Idaho Firefighters Make Progress, worldwide Help Arrives

Massive wildfires expanding across north-central Washington continued to grow on Friday.

Some of the land within the fire lines is still burning, but other sections have burned out.

They arrived in Boise, Idaho today and after picking up protective equipment, will be heading out to fight fires burning in the west. With sixteen large, active wildfires burning in Washington, social media has played a key role in keeping people up to date on evacuation orders, changes in wildfire status, and much needed emotional support.

Last week, three firefighters in Washington state were killed and four injured while battling a wildfire threatening the town of Twisp.

Now, the largest fires burn in the Okanogan Complex, which has surpassed last year’s Carlton Complex blazes.

“We are very appreciative of the Australian and New Zealand firefighters for their availability to assist us with our current fire situation”, said Aitor Bidaburu, Chair of National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group. The base will be the staging area for 20 large fire engines and 10 water takers and will be run by a team from San Diego, California.

More than 100 homes and dozens of outbuildings have been lost from those fires. Authorities have yet to say how many homes are affected. Visibility and air quality improved Sunday.

Fire information officer Jonathan Moor said Monday that crews were carried in on a Burlington Northern Santa Fe work train to create gaps in the vegetation from the tracks toward the fire through steep, dense terrain.

Nevertheless, the department said, people in the area should take the same precautions as they would with any other kind of smoky air.

Fire crews being demobilized from another fire that has burned 22 square miles in the park were being reassigned Sunday to help fight the fire near Essex.

In the state’s north-central area, a cluster of blazes burning in Okanogan County swelled some 12,500 acres (5,059 hectares) to 239,733 acres (97,016 hectares) yesterday from the day prior and was just 10 per cent contained, a fire official said.

He added that all the smoke in the region is hampering the firefighters’ response, as they are not able to use air resources.

Suzanne Flory, spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service, said there’s a worry that once the smoke lifts and humidity drops the rising heat will cause the fires to flare up.

Gentler winds allowed firefighters to make significant progress Sunday in battling the numerous wildfires across Washington. A fourth injured firefighter is being treated at a hospital in Seattle.

There were about 700 members of the Washington National Guard working alongside thousands of firefighters, an increase from last week, officials said.