Lightning sparks 80 new wildfires

Firefighters in Central Washington spent the weekend chasing-down dozens of new wildfires that were sparked by thousands of lightning strikes.

At least 80 new fires were reported, and Susan Peterson with the Forest Service said they continue to get calls about new ones.

“We have other fires that are currently being reported,” she said. “We are getting several an hour that are being reported.”

Most of those fires are burning in remote areas, deep in forest land, and not threatening homes, but a fire just west of Wenatchee has grown to 500 acres and nearly 200 homes are under mandatory evacuation notices.

“It’s not impossible terrain, but it has been tough terrain,” Wenatchee Police Sergeant John Kruse said. “There’s a lot of hillsides they are dealing with here.”

Sergeant John Kruse said the weather is calling for gusty winds again Monday which could cause problems. Some homeowners were let back into their homes late Sunday only to be forced to evacuate again when the wind changed direction.

The state’s largest fire, which is burning near White Salmon in the Columbia River Gorge, is now about 50 percent contained.