Crews progress against C. Washington fires
Conditions favor flames as crews battle blazes
3 August 2008
published by www.kxly.com
USA — Fire crews are starting to get the upper hand on Central Washington’s two large brush fires, with full containment hoped for on Sunday on the largest.
Significant progress was made Saturday on the Smith Lake Fire, the bigger of the two blazes. The size of the fire has been adjusted to 12,513 acres, down from the over 13,000 acres that was estimated on Saturday. The fire is 75 percent contained, and all evacuations have been lifted, as no more structures are being threatened.
Over 150 firefighters are at the fire, five miles of Grand Coulee. The cause of the fire, which started on Friday morning, is still under investigation. Full containment is expected sometime on Sunday.
The region’s other large fire, the Green Lake Fire near Omak, has not grown over the past 24 hours. It has burned 2,600 acres, with 50 percent containment. The west side of the fire is fully contained, so crews are working on containing the fire on the steeper east side. No set date for full containment has been announced.
All evacuations for the Green Lake Fire have been lifted. Over 500 firefighters are at the fire, which has burned private, state and federal lands.
