SAN SIMEON, Calif. (AP) – Growing wildfires fed by windy, dry conditions have destroyed buildings and forced evacuations in central California, eastern Washington, Oregon and elsewhere.
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The counties included in the order are Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Yakima, Walla Walla and Whitman.
According to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, the fire started about 8 miles north of Davenport, Wash., and traveled northeast, jumping the Spokane River into Stevens County. As many as 100 homes and structures were within a half-mile of the fire’s perimeter.
Before going out to tour the fire lines and see the efforts to stop these wildfires, the governor stopped by to see some displaced residents – 11 horses, two dogs, and several other small animals – who are being taken care of by Spokane HEART, an emergency animal sheltering agency.
The 7,000 acre Yale Road Fire south of Spokane has destroyed 10 homes and outbuildings and is 50% contained. His Republican challenger Bill Bryant said in an email he was evacuated from his Winthrop home in north central Washington a year ago.
Larry Moore, a spokesman for the Bureau of Land Management, said the fire is threatening Succor Creek State Park, near the Owyhee Reservoir.
Together the three blazes scorched more than 13 square miles of terrain and sent plumes of smoke billowing over the region.
A wildfire burning south of Toppenish has grown to almost 11 square miles but is 50 percent contained and weather conditions were aiding firefighters.
The Freeman area is still under a Level 2 (be ready to leave) evacuation as of Tuesday morning. That fire covered 19 square miles and had destroyed over a dozen homes. Fire officials say the blaze was about 3 ½ miles from the hilltop estate on Saturday. All the park’s main tourist facilities and roads were open Monday, although the fire was creeping toward a key road linking the West Entrance with the park’s interior.
Another fire was burning north of the town of Northport, near the Canadian border.
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On Tuesday, California’s Department of Forestry and Fire Information declared that they contained the Blue Cut Fire, but fire personnel were still battling six major wildfires, including the Chimney Fire in San Luis Obispo County.
