Region's Wildfire Update

Although, most of our region has seen more moisture than a yea ago, there are nearly 325,000 acres currently burning across Colorado, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. The largest fire is burning in central Washington as USDA Meteorologist Brad Rippey reports

 

Rippey: “The largest is a fairly innocuous fire — in terms that it is burning in a relatively unpopulated area it is mostly grassland. But is is a 175,000 acres and burning north of Sunnyside Washington, and that area continues to expand.”

 

According to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, that fire known as the Range 12 fire is about 90 percent contained. And as of yesterday afternoon, was threatening 250 residences.

Oregon’s largest fire is the Rail fire burning near Unity, Oregon at about 6,500 acres it was only 5 percent contained as of yesterday and they estimated to have it contained by the 31st of August.

In Idaho there is a 50,000 acre fire happening on the Sawtooth National Forest named the Pioneer fire. Containment is at about 30 percent. There is a low pressure system is expected to arrive today, bringing the chance of thunderstorms and dry lightning towards the weekend.

And in Colorado, the largest fire burning in the Beaver Creek fire at nearly 35,000 acres north of Walden, Colorado. It is approximately 18 percent contained. It is reported that the fire is burning in heavy beetle killed timber. Hotter, drier conditions persist in the fire area and are supporting increased fire activity.