The wildfire season started slowly. They were later fueled by high winds.
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Evacuations have been ordered in northern Idaho as a group of wildfires that has already destroyed 42 homes threatened more residences on Friday.
June 30, 2012: The Yarnell Hill fire kills 19 of the 20 Granite Mountain Hotshots in Prescott, Arizona.
It is the first time the state has asked for volunteers as an explosive fire season led to the deaths of three firefighters and the evacuation of entire towns.
Washington is burning like rarely before.
At least 11 wildfires were burning as of Wednesday.
At least one unoccupied home was destroyed in the rural area Wednesday.
Still, he and other officials tried to assure tired, frustrated and displaced residents that more help was on the way.
Jackson Hotshots’ firefighters, from Jackson, Miss., stand with hands and helmets over their hearts as they watch a motorcade carrying the bodies of firefighters killed a day earlier while fighting a wildfire drive past Thur…
The group of fires had charred just over 252 square miles by Friday, creating a situation too chaotic to even track how many homes had burned. “They have nothing”. By this point previous year, there had been 37,494 fires that had burned 2.65 million acres.
The fires, made worse by high temperatures and drought conditions, mean those on the front lines are facing treacherous, and sometimes deadly conditions.
The firefighters and equipment are being sent as part of a cooperative aid agreement with the U.S. Forest Service that has been in place since 1985.
The Grizzly Bear Complex fire that’s burning in both Oregon and Washington grew to more than 48,000 acres Thursday.
The bill is still coming in on the cost of this year’s fire season in Saskatchewan.
Residents here emphasized their support for firefighters and emergency workers, some of whom have come from as far away as Michigan.
Zbyszewski ‘s father, Rick, a former Forest Service firefighter, called his son, who was a straight-A student, “a special kid”.
The U.S. Forest Service identified the firefighters Thursday as Richard Wheeler, 31, Tom Zbyszewski, 20, and Andrew Zajac, 26.
July 10, 2001: An unattended campfire is blamed for starting the Thirtymile fire north of Winthrop, Washington, killing four firefighters.
Family members of Wheeler will remember his passion for firefighting and love for others. He’s undergoing treatment at a hospital in Seattle and has burns on about 60 percent of his body, the hospital said in a statement. “He’s sensitive loving and cares for everyone”.
“I knew that this could happen and we’ve talked about it, talking about it and happening are two different things”, said Karen Morey, Wheeler’s mother. The status of the fourth firefighter was unclear.
Fire officials say fire lines were bolstered overnight but list the fire as having no containment due to heavy fuel loads in the area and expected strong winds. Like others, he said, he would feel better if firefighting resources were not so scarce. “This is a vast area”, Feddersen said.
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But he added, “Overall, I’d say the firefighters did an excellent job”.
