An air quality advisory issued by Oregon officials for the Portland area is expected to lift on Thursday evening.Suspect in Washington state wildfire was questioned about blazes last yearRead moreMeanwhile in Washington, firefighters have taken advantage of cooler weather to begin getting a handle on blazes that have displaced tens of thousands of people around the state’s second-largest city, but hotter, drier and breezier days lie ahead.Officials reported on Wednesday that firefighters had established containment lines around the perimeters of all three fires affecting Spokane and that they were focused on reinforcing those lines. Temperatures were expected to climb from 80F the past two days into the upper 90F (36C), with less humidity, late this week.The fires – one of which authorities say was deliberately set by a man who was arrested and charged with arson – have destroyed about 850 buildings and forced the evacuation of about 67,000 people since they erupted last weekend. Damage assessment crews have yet to tally exactly how many houses have been lost or damaged.
No deaths have been reported.The other two fires were also started by people, though not necessarily deliberately, investigators have said. They remain under investigation. Those fires, the Autumn Lane and Fairview fires, started independently of the arson-caused Old Trails fire, they said.John Nowels, the Spokane county’s sheriff, said during a Wednesday news conference that the evacuation zones will remain in place due to incoming weather and fire danger.“We are not going to be downgrading these zones in any large way for many, many more days to come,” he said.
According to court documents, he was arrested after a resident reported him being in the area where the fire began. He denied having started it when questioned by deputies.Authorities said they previously contacted him during two fire investigations last year, including one in a state park that prompted evacuation notices, though he was not charged in either.In California, authorities said on Wednesday that they arrested a 65-year-old man on suspicion of sparking a major wildfire by recklessly operating equipment without complying with state fire prevention requirements. Prosecutors will determine whether to file criminal charges.
The blaze that erupted on Monday had scorched nearly 15 sq miles (39 sq km) of forest in Calaveras county, south-east of Sacramento. contributed reportingExplore more on these topicsWashington stateUS weatherWildfiresWest CoastPollutionAir pollutionnewsShareReuse this content
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