Washington Wildfires Destroy Land and Lives

SeaBreeze

Endlessly Groovin'
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USA
The wildfires in Washington continue to have devastating effects on people, land and wildlife. Those in Oregon and Montana are also have wildfire emergencies. Here in Colorado, the air has become filled with smoke more each day from these terrible fires. My heart goes out to all those affected by these disasters, more here.


WASHINGTON
Massive wildfires expanding across north-central Washington continued to grow on Friday. The Okanogan Complex of wildfires, where three firefighters died on Wednesday, grew by more than 100 square miles and stood at 355 square miles on Saturday morning.



A helicopter hovers in the background as a tanker airplane makes a fire-retardant run while as they battle a wildfire near Twisp, Wash., Friday, Aug. 21, 2015. Massive wildfires expanding across the arid state have so overtaxed firefighters that the federal government declared an emergency and state officials took the unprecedented step of seeking volunteers to help fight the flames. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) (Ted S. Warren/AP)


The federal government has declared an emergency, and state officials took the unprecedented step of seeking volunteers to help fight the flames. Volunteers were to begin training Saturday.

The Okanogan Complex has burned numerous structures, but the situation is so chaotic in the huge county that officials have no estimate on how many have burned. Winds were expected to slow on Saturday.
 

This was so sad. I hope it was a fast death for those 3 men. Being a fireman is so stressful, especially when they are out with these uncontrollable wildfires that go on for days and days.
 
We owned a house just north of the Washington border in the Rock Creek area for about a year. It was going to be our retirement place. Good thing we changed our minds and sold the property, otherwise we'd be homeless.

And right now, the one that is in Washington State and threatening to come into Canada is threatening a lovely little area near Christina Lakes where my mom owns a couple of lots. Probably much harder to sell when everything around you is blackened stumps.

Those firefighters are courageous and doing such a hard job. My heart goes out to them and their families. Exhausting and dangerous work.
 

Thank you to all the firefighters from Australia and New Zealand, who are assisting with the Washington fires, I was very glad to hear that a couple of days ago.
 
The entire West coast is a tinderbox just waiting to go up in flames. I got a note from my Brother-in-Law in SW Idaho a few days ago, and he said they had a huge range fire, lasting almost a week, that burned thousands of acres of cattle grazing land before it was finally put out. Over 1500 head of cattle perished, and the BLM estimated that over 1000 deer and antelope were killed. A lightning strike hit a huge stack of hay bales, and that dry grass exploded and sent flames in all directions, and the parched vegetation quickly turned the area into an inferno.
 


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