Fire managers from as far as Australia and New Zealand have arrived in the West as massive wildfires raging in Washington state and elsewhere in the region taxed resources and led officials to put out a wide call for help.
In Washington, a blaze raging in the north-central part of the state has grown to become the largest in state history, fire spokesman Rick Isaacson said Monday. The Okanogan Complex of fires was measured overnight at just over 400 square miles. That’s slightly more than last year’s Carlton Complex blazes, which also burned in Okanogan County.
The latest group of fires grew by more than 26 square miles Sunday and is expected to spread even more in coming days. Isaacson did not have a containment estimate, but there is very little containment on the wildfire. Officials are still trying to determine how many homes and other structures have burned.
Isaacson called the record unfortunate and said the fire could burn until rain and snow season arrives. “It’s only Aug. 24th,” Isaacson said. “In our district we could see this go clear to the first of November.”
About 1,250 people are battling the wildfire, Isaacson said. Last week, three firefighters were killed and four injured when they were overtaken while trying to escape the flames.
From Capital Press: https://www.capitalpress.com/Washington/20150824/okanogan-wildfire-largest-in-washington-state-history