KGMI News
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) – A snowy winter across much of the western United States raised hopes that 2017 wouldn’t be prone to wildfires.
Instead, the summer of 2017 is on track to be among the worst fire seasons in a decade.
Experts said the weather turned very hot very fast in the spring, and snow melted much more quickly than expected.
This dried out grass and forests providing fuel for wildfires.
The U.S. Forest Service reported the fires have cost more than 2.1-billion-dollars to fight so far this year.
Several large wildfires continue to burn in Washington.
A lightning-sparked wildfire near the Crystal Mountain Ski Resort is approximately the size of Seattle.
A fire northwest of Cle Elum is larger than Bellingham, Lynden and Ferndale combined.
The biggest fire in Washington is burning in wilderness north of Mazama and has crossed the border into Canada.
It covers an area almost twice the size of Seattle.
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