advertisement

Wildfires blasting through West draw states to lend support

BLY, Ore. (AP) - Out-of-state crews headed to Montana Saturday to battle a blaze that injured five firefighters as the West struggled with a series of fires that have ravaged rural lands and destroyed homes.

Progress was being made on the nation's largest blaze, the Bootleg Fire in Oregon, but additional mandatory evacuations were ordered Friday evening and less than half of it had been contained, fire officials said. The growth of the sprawling fire had slowed, but increased fire activity was expected Saturday, and thousands of homes remained threatened on its eastern side, authorities said.

'œThis fire is resistant to stopping at dozer lines," Oregon Department of Forestry officials said Saturday in a news release. 'œWith the critically dry weather and fuels we are experiencing, firefighters are having to constantly re-evaluate their control lines and look for contingency options."

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday proclaimed a state of emergency for four northern counties because of wildfires that he said were causing 'œconditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property.'ť The proclamation opens the way for more state support.

On Saturday, fire crews from California and Utah were coming to Montana, Gov. Greg Gianforte announced. Five firefighters were injured Thursday when swirling winds blew flames back on them as they worked on the Devil's Creek fire burning in rough, steep terrain near the rural town of Jordan.

They remained hospitalized Friday. Bureau of Land Management spokesperson Mark Jacobsen declined to release the extent of their injuries. The firefighters included three U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service crew members from North Dakota and two U.S. Forest Service firefighters from New Mexico.

In California, the Tamarack Fire south of Lake Tahoe continued to burn through timber and chaparral and threatened communities on both sides of the California-Nevada state line. The fire, sparked by lightning July 4 in Alpine County, has destroyed at least 10 buildings.

In Butte County, California, the Dixie Fire continued to burn in rugged and remote terrain, hampering firefighters' efforts to contain the blaze as it grows eastward, becoming the state's largest wildfire so far this year.

Heavy smoke from both huge fires lowered visibility and may at times ground aircraft providing support for fire crews on the ground. The air quality south of Lake Tahoe and across the state line into Nevada deteriorated to very unhealthy levels.

In north-central Washington, firefighters battled two blazes in Okanogan County that threatened hundreds of homes and again caused hazardous air quality conditions Saturday. And in northern Idaho, east of Spokane, Washington, a small fire near the Silverwood Theme Park prompted evacuations Friday evening at the park and in the surrounding area. The theme park was back open on Saturday with the fire half contained.

Although hot weather with afternoon winds posed a continued threat of spreading blazes, weekend forecasts also called for a chance of scattered thunderstorms in California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and other states. However, forecasters said some could be dry thunderstorms that produce little rain but a lot of lightning, which can spark new blazes.

More than 85 large wildfires were burning around the country, most of them in Western states, and they had burned over 1.4 million acres (2,135 square miles or more than 553,000 hectares) of land.

Firefighters light a backfire to stop the Dixie Fire from spreading near Prattville in Plumas County, Calif., on Friday, July 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) The Associated Press
Marcus Kauffman, public information officer with the Bootleg Fire, walks through burn damage near the Northwest containment line on Friday, July 23, 2021, near Paisley, Ore. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard) The Associated Press
A sign damaged by the Bootleg Fire stands among the haze on Thursday, July 22, 2021, near Paisley, Ore. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard) The Associated Press
Sayyid Bey, left, and his son Nicolas Bey, 11, sift through the remains of their home Thurday, July22, 2021, after it was destroyed by the Bootleg Fire near Bly, Ore. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard) The Associated Press
A sign damaged by the Bootleg Fire lies on the ground on Thursday, July 22, 2021, near Paisley, Ore. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard) The Associated Press
Spot fires burn near trees damaged by the Bootleg Fire on Thursday, July 22, 2021, in Paisley, Ore. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard) The Associated Press
Smoke from the Bootleg Fire lingers on Thursday, July 22, 2021, near Paisley, Ore. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard) The Associated Press
Fire retardant coats rocks in a field damaged by the Bootleg Fire, Thursday, July 22, 2021, near Bly, Ore. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard) The Associated Press
A dog named Zippy walks past a destroyed truck Thursday, July 22, 2021, belonging to her owner, Gauge Clark, whose home was destroyed in the Bootleg Fire near Bly, Ore. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard) The Associated Press
A tree trunk that was singed by the Bootleg Fire is seen Thursday, July 22, 2021, near Bly, Ore. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard) The Associated Press
Firefighters from across the country listen to a briefing before beginning a shift fighting the Bootleg Fire, Thursday, July 22, 2021 near Bly, Ore. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard) The Associated Press
A single cow walks through an area damaged by the Bootleg Fire, Thursday, July 22, 2021, near Bly, Ore. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard) The Associated Press
Sayyid Bey sifts through the remains of his home Thursday, July 22, 2021, after it was destroyed by the Bootleg Fire near Bly, Ore. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard) The Associated Press
Gauge Clark, whose home was destroyed in the Bootleg Fire, talks about his evacuation, Thursday, July 22, 2021 near Bly, Ore. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard) The Associated Press
Cattle move through hills damaged by the Bootleg Fire, Thursday, July 22, 2021 near Bly, Ore. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard) The Associated Press
Sayyid Bey sifts through the remains of his home Thursday, July 22, 2021, after it was destroyed by the Bootleg Fire near Bly, Ore. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard) The Associated Press
Two cars that were destroyed by the Bootleg Fire sit near damaged property Thursday, July 22, 2021, near Bly, Ore. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard) The Associated Press
People stand behind the fire line as the flames spread through dry grasses at the Steptoe Canyon Fire Thursday, July 22, 2021 in Colton, Wash. (August Frank/Lewiston Tribune via AP) The Associated Press
Spot fires smolder near trees damaged by the Bootleg Fire on Thursday, July 22, 2021, in Paisley, Ore. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard) The Associated Press
Smoke from the Bootleg Fire lingers on Thursday, July 22, 2021, near Paisley, Ore. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard) The Associated Press
Spot fires burn near trees damaged by the Bootleg Fire on Thursday, July 22, 2021, in Paisley, Ore. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard) The Associated Press
This satellite image provided by Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies shows the wildfires in Northern California and Oregon on Wednesday, July 21, 2021. The Oregon fire, which was sparked by lightning, has ravaged the sparsely populated southern part of the state and had been expanding by up to 4 miles (6 kilometers) a day, pushed by strong winds and critically dry weather that turned trees and undergrowth into a tinderbox. (Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies via AP) The Associated Press
In this photo provided by the Bureau of Land Management, a helicopter works above the Devil's Creek Fire in central Montana on Thursday, July 22, 2021. Five firefighters were injured when a thunderstorm and swirling winds in central Montana blew a lightning-caused wildfire back on them, federal officials said Friday, July 23, 2021. (Mark Jacobsen/Bureau of Land Management via AP) The Associated Press
A small brush fires spreads ahead of a containment line near the Northwest edge of the Bootleg Fire on Friday, July 23, 2021, near Paisley, Ore. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard) The Associated Press
Ryan Berlin, a public information officer with the Bootleg Fire, examines a fire resistant cover used to protect a cabin near the Northwest edge of the fire on Friday, July 23, 2021, near Paisley, Ore. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard) The Associated Press
Firefighters from New Mexico walk toward the Northwest edge of the Bootleg Fire while working to build a containment line on Friday, July 23, 2021, near Paisley, Ore. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard) The Associated Press
Firefighters monitor a backfire they lit to stop the Dixie Fire from spreading near Prattville in Plumas County, Calif., on Friday, July 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) The Associated Press
Cal Fire firefighters battle the Dixie Fire near Prattville in Plumas County, Calif., on Friday, July 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) The Associated Press
Cal Fire firefighters battle the Dixie Fire near Prattville in Plumas County, Calif., on Friday, July 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) The Associated Press
Firefighter Jesse Forbes rubs his head while battling the Dixie Fire near Prattville in Plumas County, Calif., on Friday, July 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) The Associated Press
Cal Fire firefighters battle the Dixie Fire near Prattville in Plumas County, Calif., on Friday, July 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) The Associated Press
Cal Fire Capt. Dom Kaska, right, monitors flames as his crew burns vegetation to stop the Dixie Fire from spreading near Prattville in Plumas County, Calif., on Friday, July 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) The Associated Press
Firefighter Jesse Forbes monitors flames as his crew burns vegetation to stop the Dixie Fire from spreading near Prattville in Plumas County, Calif., on Friday, July 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) The Associated Press
Jeremiah Johnson fills up with diesel while constructing fire breaks as the Dixie Fire approaches the Greenville community in Plumas County, Calif., on Friday, July 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) The Associated Press
Firefighters gas up while battling the Dixie Fire in the Greenville community of Plumas County, Calif., on Friday, July 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) The Associated Press
Jerry Whipple wets down his roof as the Dixie Fire approaches the Greenville community in Plumas County, Calif., on Friday, July 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) The Associated Press
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.