Kari Green / USFS
Cool, wet weather during the last few days has helped wildland firefighters in Oregon and Washington make gains on several large fires.
More than 10,000 firefighters are working on 19 large fires in Oregon and Washington.
“The weather was a huge asset to the firefighters," said Mike Stearly, a spokesman with the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center in Portland. "We received reports from teams out in the field that received anywhere from a quarter inch to over an inch of rain.”
He said more than 1.2 million acres are currently burning in the two states, but there haven’t been any major new fires.
“There’s been no lightening in the area," he said. "With the heavier moisture in the air, any fires have not been able to get established.”
Warmer weather this week is expected to create dryer conditions and some moderate fire activity, he said.
For weeks in August, fire resources were strained as fires grew rapidly around the region, outpacing available resources.
But now fire officials say they’re getting the resources they need.
Nationally, fire managers have shifted resources to Idaho and Montana, where fire priorities are slightly higher.
Stearly said the Oknongan Complex fire in Washington state remains the largest in the Northwest at about 150,000 acres. In Oregon, the Canyon Creek Complex is about 110,000 acres.