Fire crews battle blazes across Washington ahead of heatwave

SEATTLE  — Fire crews across the state of Washington hope to get out ahead of numerous wildfires before high temperatures arrive midweek.

The Cougar Creek fire northwest of Entiat has burned about 9.6 square miles. The fire moved into the Grandma and Young creek drainages late Monday and remained active early Tuesday.

Firefighters were also attacking three other smaller fires in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest on Tuesday.

One blaze, the Whitepine Fire, was burning about 3 miles south of Stevens Pass Nordic Center and 19 miles northwest of Leavenworth. The lightning-caused fire remained small Tuesday and was being monitored from the air.

Crews battling a blaze near Methow Valley were expected to reassess the size of the fire on Tuesday. Heavy smoke had kept crews from seeing the actual fire lines.

Officials say the Cresent Mountain and Gilbert fires grew overnight, but that its actual size would be released later Tuesday.

Firefighters on the 7.8-square-mile Angel Springs fire in eastern Washington had the blaze about 15 percent contained on Tuesday morning, with about 170 structures threatened.

There were no immediate evacuation orders in effect on Tuesday. But residents in the Davenport area were warned that they may need to relocate should things change.