Storms spark Washington wildfires by Steph Ball
Soaring temperatures in the high 30C’s (100F ), low humidity and high winds have left Washington State as dry as a tinderbox, with recent storms sparking a multitude of wildfires.
A lightning storm swept through Washington’s Cascade Range and across eastern Washington on Friday with the storm sparking dozens of wildfires and destroying several homes.
Many of these fires were contained, but firefighters continued to battle on Saturday as fresh storms bought a renewed flurry of wildfires across the state. Over the last couple of days close to 2,700 lightning strikes have been reported across Washington and Oregon states, with over 200 separate fires.
Three of the largest remaining fires have now burnt through an estimated 43 square miles of grass and sagebrush with only one of these contained during Saturday. With further storms forecast for the rest of the weekend firefighters know that there work is not over yet.
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