Wildfires are tearing through some hot, drought-stricken areas of the West. A look at the latest hotspots:
• WASHINGTON: A wildfire in a remote area of Olympic National Park scorched more than 1 square mile.
Fire managers said Tuesday that the blaze, burning in a wilderness area about 12 miles from the nearest trailhead, is spreading into high mountains.
Fire managers mapped the fire’s size at nearly 800 acres. No property or people are threatened.
Park officials say the fire was caused by a lightning strike in late May. It smoldered and wasn’t detected until June 14.
• OREGON: A fire in the southwest grew to nearly 8 square miles even as firefighters got it halfway contained.
Incident commander Doug Johnson said crews were spending Tuesday completing burnout operations, with helicopters doing bucket drops on the Rogue-River Siskiyou National Forest.
Crews also worked to contain a 175-acre wildfire south of the Succor Creek State Natural Area in Eastern Oregon.
• CALIFORNIA: Air tankers and helicopters helped hundreds of firefighters battle a wildfire south of Lake Tahoe that has grown to more than 25 square miles.
The mountain town of Markleeville remained on standby for possible evacuations Tuesday. Several campgrounds along a highway were evacuated.
Strong winds and severe drought have stoked the fire that was ignited by lightning Friday.
Cooler weather helped crews make progress against a huge forest fire in a remote area of the San Bernardino Mountains. About 500 buildings, including cabins, were threatened, but none was lost.
• ALASKA: Wildfires have led to evacuations in several parts of the state, including a tiny village where residents fled on boats.
Crews were being stretched thin as 61 new fires ignited in the state, according to new figures released Tuesday afternoon. Much of the activity was in the hot, dry interior. Altogether, 242 fires were burning on nearly 503 square miles.
