Wildfires Threaten Homes in Idaho, Washington, California
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Wildfires continued to ravage three US western states Sunday, with scores of homes and cabins lost, and many more menaced by flames.
The Lawyer Complex Fire near Kamiah, in northwest Idaho, has destroyed an estimated 50 homes and 75 outbuildings, according to the state's Department of Lands, according to a report by CNN on Sunday.
So far, it is 15% contained, with more than 770 officials working to bring the flames under control. It includes the Old Greer, Kamiah Gulch, Lawyer 6 and Adams Grade fires, across a combined total of around 20,759 acres.
There have been no reports of death or injury as a result of the fire, authorities said.
However, Cheryl Lee Wissler, 70, of Adams Grade, died Friday when she fell and suffered a head wound while preparing for possible evacuation, said the sheriff's department.
Mandatory evacuations remain in place around Kamiah.
Washington state
Wind-pushed fires burned around Chelan and McNeil Canyon, in central Washington state, and remain actively burning with zero containment and the potential to grow, fire officials said Saturday.
An estimated 100 structures have already been lost, including homes and cabins in the four fires around Chelan, a town of about 4,000 people, according to Chelan County Emergency Management. No deaths or serious injuries have been reported.
Up to 1,500 evacuation orders are in place, and fire officials are scrambling to come up with a plan of attack.
Lightning strikes started the fires Friday morning, said Jim Duck of the Central Washington Interagency Communication Center.
California
A thousand miles to the south, in California's Angeles National Forest, the Cabin Fire started Saturday.
The fire covers 1,484 acres and is 20% contained, according to the national fire tracking website InciWeb. Five structures have burned down.
Five firefighters were evacuated with minor injuries and 462 personnel are on scene, InciWeb said.
The fire is south of Falling Springs off Highway 39, which is closed in the affected areas for the rest of the weekend.
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for parts of California, where four years of historic drought have made it easy for flames to spread.
