Wildfires Scorch Pacific Northwest as Record Heat Settles in Washington, Oregon

Wildfires Scorch Pacific Northwest as Record Heat Settles in Washington, Oregon

SEATTLE, July 8 (UPI) — Wildfires continue to ravage areas throughout the Pacific Northwest on Wednesday, including Washington’s Olympic National Park, one of the wettest areas of the country.

Nearly 20 fires are burning in Washington and Oregon alone, with Idaho and California also seeing flames. North above the Canadian border, British Columbia and Saskatchewan are battling some 100 fires. This comes after the July 4th weekend was the hottest on record in some areas, including western Washington, with multiple days of above 90-degree temperatures. As a result, there’s been some 400 wildfires so far this month, compared to 275 the same period last year, the state’s Department of Natural Resources said.

 

Among the most alarming fires is at Olympic National Park in Washington, a temperate rainforest area that usually sees up to 200 inches of rain a year. The so-called “Paradise Fire” is only 21 percent contained after several weeks.

According to the National Interagency Fire Center, more than 865,000 acres have burned across the United States in the past weeks. The current breakdown of fires across the country include the following:

Alaska (22)
Arizona (1)
California (1)
Florida (2)
Idaho (4)
Montana (2)
Nevada (1)
New Mexico (1)
Oregon (6)
Washington (11)