[Vision2020] seattletimes.com: Fire sears 32, 000 acres in southeast Washington

[carlwestberg846 at hotmail.com]

This message was sent to you by carlwestberg846 at hotmail.com, 
as a service of The Seattle Times (http://www.seattletimes.com).

Comments from sender: This certainly explains the smoke Moscow's had lately.  I didn't know it was such a serious fire.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Fire sears 32,000 acres in southeast Washington
Full story: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002426721_wildfires08m.html

By The Associated Press




POMEROY, Garfield County – Wildfire managers around the state are looking for ways to help the School fire near here, which has grown to some 32,000 acres, forced the evacuation of about 175 homes and burned about three dozen buildings.

 "All of the fires are starting to look at what their resources are and how they can help out," said spokesman John Townsley at the Northwest Fire Coordination Center in Portland, Ore.

 Firefighters were expecting cooler, wetter weather in the next few days as they attempt to contain the volatile fire's advance, he said.

 Farmers beyond the flames were plowing up broad swaths of earth through fields of wheat and other crops, trying to create fire breaks and save this year's harvest.

 The fire covered about 150 acres Saturday morning, but flames were moving fast through tinder-dry country. Smoke was making it hard for fire managers to see the fire's perimeter.

 The smoke also grounded water tankers and helicopters for much of Sunday, and made it difficult to find burned structures. Officials counted 35 torched buildings by Sunday evening, but acknowledged that more may have been consumed.

 "Right now there is so much smoke that it's difficult to see very well, so unless a person knew the ground ... it might be easy to miss," Townsley said.

 There were no reports of injuries. It could not be immediately determined whether the structures that burned were homes, sheds or other buildings, Townsley said.

 Towers of smoke indicated the fire was generating its own weather, sending heavy drafts skyward that could also shoot burning debris ahead of the front and push the blaze rapidly ahead, Townsley said.

 "It starts a sort of perpetual motion machine that just keeps the fire moving and going," he said.

 "The bigger the column, the more extreme the winds" inside the blaze, he said, noting the smoke was visible in satellite photos of the area.

 Some 600 people were working the fire, along with about 75 engines.

 Gov. Christine Gregoire accompanied State Patrol Chief John Batiste on a flight to the area Sunday evening to assess the fire, spokeswoman Althea Cawley-Murphree said.

 Officials are not sure how the blaze began Friday, but managers were sure it was not sparked by a lightning strike, Townsley said.

 "We could easily see more of this if people aren't careful," Townsley said.

 Aid also has been requested from the Federal Emergency Management Agency "because of the threat to residences and homes," he said. The affected homes are apparently scattered, likely in drainages, he added. He said primary and recreational homes probably were affected.

 While other fires were burning around the state, "I think the School fire is the dragon on the block right now," Townsley said

 The fire is feeding on a variety of fuel types, Townsley said: forest, brush, grass and some crop lands. Much of the fire was in the Umatilla National Forest, but wind appeared to push the fire to the north and east Sunday.

 The fire burned into the Tuncannon River Canyon and jumped the waterway as it roared north and east. Three campgrounds -- Boundary, Tuncannon and Alder Thicket -- were evacuated.

 Another new blaze, the Burnt Bread fire, had destroyed one barn and covered about 1,300 acres in sparsely populated north-central Washington, about 30 miles south of the U.S.-Canadian border, Townsley said.

 About 40 firefighters were assigned to that blaze, working with two helicopters and 10 engines. Crews built a bulldozer line and appeared to make good progress, but the fire could get more dangerous if wind pushes it into forest land, Townsley said.

 Updates on the state's other major fires:

 --The Dirtyface fire near Lake Wenatchee, about 18 miles northwest of Leavenworth, was reported 60 percent contained at 1,100 acres. About 100 homes had been evacuated and other area residents were advised to be prepared for evacuation as hot, dry weather continued. There were more than 650 firefighters at the scene, working with trucks and helicopters to douse the fire and strengthening fire lines near the Whispering Pines subdivision. Fire crews hoped to have full containment by Wednesday.

 --The Lick Creek fire near Cle Elum had charred about 670 acres and was considered 20 percent contained. Residents of 30 homes on the north fork of the Teanaway Creek were evacuated. About 490 firefighters were on it, and found that relatively wet grasslands were helping containment efforts, Townsley said.



======================================================================

TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE SEATTLE TIMES PRINT EDITION	
Call (206) 464-2121 or 1-800-542-0820, or go to 
https://read.nwsource.com/subscribe/times/

HOW TO ADVERTISE WITH THE SEATTLE TIMES COMPANY ONLINE
For information on advertising in this e-mail newsletter, 
or other online marketing platforms with The Seattle Times Company, 
call (206) 464-2361 or e-mail websales at seattletimes.com

TO ADVERTISE IN THE SEATTLE TIMES PRINT EDITION
Please go to http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/contactus/adsales
for information.

======================================================================
For news updates throughout the day, visit http://www.seattletimes.com
======================================================================

            Copyright (c) 2005 The Seattle Times Company

                        www.seattletimes.com
                       Your Life. Your Times.