Helicopters have been dipping into Lake Chelan to pull up water to battle blazes north of the lake. Yet even after finally managing to contain most of the flames, fire officials warned that strong winds and low humidity were expected to hit southern Idaho throughout most of Monday, which can cause extreme fire activity. In Northern Idaho, more than 40 homes were lost near the town of Kamiah and in Oregon a lightning-sparked blaze on the Malheur National Forest has grown to more than 60 square miles and has destroyed at least 26 homes.
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The wildfires in the the central Washington area, about 175 miles east of Seattle, left 9,000 homes without power over the weekend as utility poles were burned down. During classroom training, Soldiers will learn about a variety of topics related to wildfire suppression including fire terminology, fire behavior, and fire line safety.
About 120 residents have evacuated and additional residents have been told to be ready to flee from a wildfire burning in west-central Idaho near McCall. The fire continues to challenge firefighters because of the dry conditions, rugged terrain and afternoon winds.
With this move, the state fire marshal can mobilize fire resources from around the state to protect homes. Cheryl Lee Wissler of Adams Grade died Friday from a head injury she suffered when she fell, authorities said.
On the Idaho-Oregon border, about 800 firefighters had a 443-square-mile wildfire 70 percent contained.
With dozens of wildfires raging in multiple Western states, the US Army is preparing to deploy 200 soldiers in order to help firefighters.
The extent of strained manpower was also evident as fire managers for the blaze ordered reinforcements of ground crews and aircraft on Monday, only to see their requests returned for a third straight day marked, “UTF”, for “unable to fill”, said Ryan Greendeer, a spokesman for the Clearwater command.
An earlier, larger fire in the same area was fully contained Friday more than two weeks after it broke out.
In Washington, 2,359 firefighters are battling 18 major fires.
The lightning-caused Cornet-Windy Ridge Fire southeast of Baker City was burning more than 88,000 acres Monday morning.
The Northwest Colorado Fire Management Unit says nine fires were ignited Saturday. This photograph provided by NASA details areas of fire in the Pacific Northwest.
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The help can be crucial in particularly active years like this one, when the center’s firefighting teams and equipment are fighting hundreds of fires across many states. Such private crews are called up to help supplement state and federal fire forces during the height of fire season.
