Western wildfires: Fire crews report progress fighting Washington blazes

Fire crews have reported progress fighting wildfires in tinder-dry, drought-stricken Washington state, as well as in Nevada.

Here is a look at hotspots around the West.

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WASHINGTON

Firefighters attacked hotspots at a wildfire that has destroyed nearly 30 homes in the central Washington city of Wenatchee.

By Wednesday evening, the blaze was 83 per cent contained, fire spokesman Vladimir Steblina said.

Earlier in the day, a Chelan County sheriff’s spokesman said the fire was likely human-caused. Investigators have ruled out any natural causes, such as lightning. They’re still looking into whether the fire was set on purpose or by accident.

Officials say the blaze that started Sunday has scorched about 2,950 acres, or about 4 1/2 square miles, in the city about 150 miles east of Seattle. They said 29 homes were destroyed and four business complexes in the commercial area were damaged to varying degrees.

About 30 miles southeast of Wenatchee, a new wildfire charred more than 3 square miles, or about 2,100 acres, of dry sagebrush and grass near the city of Quincy, burning some outbuildings and forcing about two dozen residents to temporarily flee their homes.

There were some reports of fresh smoke Wednesday afternoon from the Quincy-area fire but Grant County sheriff’s spokesman Kyle Foreman said that was not a flare-up but a controlled burn by firefighters.

No homes burned and evacuation orders were lifted Wednesday morning. The fire started late Tuesday.

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NEVADA

Firefighters declared full containment of a lightning-sparked wildfire covering almost 8 square miles of sage and grass in remote northern Nevada.

No injuries were reported, and no structures were damaged, Nevada Conservation & Natural Resources spokeswoman JoAnn Kittrell said. The fire was reported Monday on private land north of Interstate 80 about halfway between Battle Mountain and Elko.

It spared an area of fragile habitat for the imperiled sage grouse, Kittrell said.

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This story has been corrected to show Wenatchee is east of Seattle, not west.