Wildfire Destroys Town in Washington
Posted by feww on July 19, 2014
EXTREME CLIMATE HAZARDS
INTENSE DROUGHT
HIGH TEMPERATURES
MAJOR LIGHTNING STORMS
DESTRUCTIVE WILDFIRES
MASS EVACUATIONS
STATES OF EMERGENCY
SCENARIOS 797, 111, 101, 03
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“The fire basically burned out the town of Pateros”
A ferocious wildfire has destroyed score of homes east of Washington state’s Cascade Mountains and forced hundreds of residents to flee.
Authorities have issued mandatory evacuation orders for the entire town of Pateros (population: ~ 700), about 200km northeast of Seattle.
Sheriff estimates up to 100 homes have been lost in the wildfire.
“The fire basically burned out the town of Pateros,” said Mark Clemens, a spokesman with the Washington Emergency Management Division.
“In the nearby city of Brewster, a hospital and several homes were evacuated and much of the area was without power after the Carlton Complex fire, triggered by lightning strikes earlier this week, charred 186,000 acres across the picturesque Methow Valley,” reported Reuters.
Dozens of wildfires have been sparked by lightening in Washington and Oregon burning tens of thousands of acres.
A state of emergency was declared in the state of Washington for 20 eastern counties after wildfires burned tens of thousands of acres and dozens of homes and other structures, threatening about 1,000 more homes and forcing mass evacuations.
The emergency proclamation covers Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, Whitman and Yakima counties.
Oregon Gov. has also declared a state of emergency after more than a dozen fires erupted across the state last week.
Hot, dry weather has dramatically increased wildfire danger across the Northwest.
wildninja said
The Wenatchee World has a list of ways to help the people and animal survivors of these fires, http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2014/jul/18/how-to-assist-fire-victims/.