OLYMPIA, Wash. — All state managed public lands east of the Cascades are closed to recreation because of extreme fire danger.
The closure will last at least until Friday and crews will continuously monitor the situation.
Public Lands Commissioner Hillary Franz says Labor Day was a historic fire day for the state as 58 new fires flared up and were fanned by hurricane-force winds.
The Whitman County Sheriff says the small town of Malden is all but wiped out, with 80% of the structures destroyed including the fire station, City Hall, library and the post office.
The DNR says that with no lightning in the state most of the fires are presumed to be human-caused.
Timber harvests on state managed land are also suspended until at least Thursday.