Submitted by Fox First at Ten on September 11th
UPDATE: Cooler weather overnight helped hold wildfires in Eastern Washington, but they remain a threat as dry conditions continue, and the National Weather Service says dry, windy weather is increasing the danger in Western Washington. A spokeswoman for fire managers, Connie Mehmel, told The Wenatchee World Wednesday (http://is.gd/NdhofH) that lines held overnight at fires near Wenatchee, Entiat and Cashmere. Evacuation warnings remain in place for about 150 homes near Wenatchee. With dry winds in the forecast, the Weather Service has a fire weather watch is in effect Wednesday night and early Thursday in parts of Western Washington including the west slopes of the Cascades and the Puget Sound basin. A red flag warning for critical fire danger is in effect Wednesday night and Thursday for southwest Washington, including Vancouver.
UPDATE: One of the dozens of wildfires burning in Eastern Washington has grown dramatically in windy conditions and has burned three homes. Fire spokeswoman Karen Ripley says 35 mph winds overnight Monday pushed the Leahy Fire burning north and west of Grand Coulee, Wash., from about 11,000 acres to more than 60,000 acres, or 95 square miles. Ripley said Tuesday night that fire has burned three homes and nine outbuildings. One firefighter was injured. The Leahy and Barker Canyon fires are burning dry grass and sagebrush near Grand Coulee, about 160 miles east of Seattle. The town is not threatened and there are no mandatory evacuations. The lightning-sparked fires are 20 percent contained.
