Thirteen people have been killed battling the blazes, including the three in Washington, said Jessica Gardetto of the National Interagency Fire Center. Rogers posited that the flames then overtook them.
Advertisement
A blaze burning for almost three weeks on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada surged in size in a recreation area outside Kings Canyon National Park where more than 2,500 campers, hikers, employees and residents have been evacuated this week.
Parents of 20-year-old Tom Zbyszewski.
He was a junior physics major who was active in the college’s theater department, according to a college-wide email sent Thursday.
Officials confirm the fatalities of three U.S. Forest Service firefighters from the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. “He had a passion for the Chinese language and loved Whitman”. Those planning travel across Eastern Washington’s basins or heading to/from Washington State University for the start of classes should be prepared. The agency identified them as Tom Zbyszewski, 20; Andrew Zajac, 26; and Richard Wheeler, 31. No hometowns were released. They said he enjoyed the work and he felt it was important to be able to protect the homes of people he knew. As flames rage on the ridge line above, firefighters wet down brush and other fuel above a home on Twisp River Road just after midnight, Thursday, August 20, 2015, in Twisp, Wash.
“Fire suppression crews from Ontario, Canada, and one Convair 580 airtanker group from Saskatchewan and Alberta are supporting firefighting efforts in the Northern Rockies”, NIFC says.
Police said the Forest Service firefighters responded to a new fire along Twisp River Road on Wednesday afternoon.
At a news conference, Gov. Jay Inslee said the wildfires have “burned a big hole in our state’s heart”.
The governor says more than 450 square miles were burning in the state this year, an increase from about 390 square miles last year. Authorities warned that more high winds Thursday could make conditions very challenging. Two Washington State Department of Natural Resources firefighters were also said to be injured but it wasn’t clear if their injuries were related to the crashed vehicle.
Three U.S. Forest Service firefighters died Wednesday in what the Okanogan County, Washington sheriff called a “hell storm” of a wildfire outside Spokane. One of the individuals who was close to that incident yesterday has returned to the fire line, as a measure of firefighters dedication to protecting our communities and our homes. But regular Army personnel also are training to join the fray, and foreign firefighters have flown in to help. Four other firefighters were injured, he said, one of them hospitalized in critical condition with burns over 60 percent of his body.
Advertisement
Three firefighters were killed and four others were injured while battling a wildfire in Washington state on Wednesday, one of dozens raging throughout the drought-parched West.
