ENTIAT, Wash. (AP) – A wildfire burning grass, brush and scattered timber in central Washington has grown by about 2 square miles, but officials reported good progress in protecting homes in the area.
Fire operations spokesman Rick Acosta said 763 personnel continued fighting the Mills Canyon fire, which by Saturday morning had grown to about 34 square miles near Entiat, roughly midway between Seattle and Spokane.
Despite hot weather, the fire did not spread appreciably during the day Saturday, he said. It was about one-fifth contained, and smoke was affecting the air quality in Entiat and other nearby towns.
“We are seeing moderate fire behavior today, but it’s not making runs and getting ahead of itself like it was,” Acosta said. “We’re hoping to keep it where it is.”
There was more moisture in the trees above 3,000 feet in elevation, and on hills where the fire incinerated dead and downed logs to thin lines of ash, some of the standing pines remained green, he said.