So many fires are burning across the West that the National Interagency Fire Center has called in 200 active-duty military troops to help.
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Seventy-five guardsmen with a National Guard infantry company in Fullerton have been mobilized to assist in fighting wildfires throughout the state. And the phrase “spread like wildfire” was no cliche for residents there.
A lightning-sparked fire near John Day has grown to almost 60 square miles and has destroyed at least 26 homes.
South of Baker City, the improved weather helped firefighters make progress on the state’s largest wildfire.
The wildfires left a trail of destruction and plunged 9,000 homes into darkness in Washington state after flames engulfed utility poles outside Chelan.
“We now have more communities that have been located in and around one of our forests”, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a release.
The fire, which affected areas around Mad River, Dinsmore and Hyampom, started last month following a lightning storm.
Two people died while fleeing fires in Washington and Idaho, according to media reports. Idaho, Oregon, Montana and Washington are struggling with significant wildfires.
The week-old Soda fire has scorched grassland that is needed for cattle and is primary habitat for sage grouse, a bird under consideration for federal protections. However, firefighters were gaining control of the wildfire.
The fire is the second of two blazes near dry Lower Lake. The blaze destroyed 43 homes.
One homeowner said he was helpless to stop the fire.
Meanwhile, a brush fire started near a riverbed in Montebello, a suburb 8 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, halted operations at an oil field, prompted the evacuation of a park and road closures.
Montebello authorities said a 45-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of arson.
More than 700 of the California National Guard’s 22,000 guardsmen and a number of aircraft are assigned to the wildfires, he added. It was 35 percent contained Monday.
Gov. Kate Brown has invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act in response to the Canyon Creek Complex Fire, which has charred more than 40,000 acres in eastern Oregon. It was 82 percent contained by Sunday.
The Northwest Colorado Fire Management Unit says nine fires were ignited Saturday. At least 19 fires are raging in the state, but firefighters managed Monday to contain the biggest blaze, which ended up torching 28,401 acres.
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The spokesman, Rich Magnussen, said the toll of property losses there was likely to climb as fire teams reached areas that were still burning on Monday.
