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Hot And Dry: The Perfect Recipe For Wildland Fire

The National Weather Service has issued red flag warnings in both Oregon and Washington.
Emily Schwing
/
Northwest News Network
The National Weather Service has issued red flag warnings in both Oregon and Washington.

Hot temperatures, low humidity and gusty winds forecast for this weekend have land managers across the Northwest worried about wildfires. The National Weather Service has issued red flag warnings in both Oregon and Washington.

A fire watch is in effect for much of eastern Washington. The southern Washington Cascades region and the Oregon Central and Northern Cascades are under red flag warnings. If conditions remain as they are, any fires that develop are likely to spread rapidly.

The largest fire in the region, the Rattlesnake fire, has been burning in central Oregon all week. The Bureau of Indian Affairs says the more than 9,000 acre fire is 80 percent contained. In Oregon, managers say the fire season is likely to worsen in coming weeks.

A burn ban in Washington has been extended on state land through the end of September.

The ban does not apply to federally-managed land like national parks and forests, but it is now illegal to use fireworks, tracer ammunition and even those popular sky lanterns on state lands in Washington state. Outdoors enthusiasts can still light campfires, as long as they remain in designated campground fire pits.

According to the National Interagency Fire Center, the Northwest region has seen 1,400 wildfires so far this year.

Copyright 2016 Northwest News Network

Emily Schwing
Emily Schwing comes to the Inland Northwest by way of Alaska, where she covered social and environmental issues with an Arctic spin as well as natural resource development, wildlife management and Alaska Native issues for nearly a decade. Her work has been heard on National Public Radio’s programs like “Morning Edition” and “All things Considered.” She has also filed for Public Radio International’s “The World,” American Public Media’s “Marketplace,” and various programs produced by the BBC and the CBC. She has also filed stories for Scientific American, Al Jazeera America and Arctic Deeply.
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