Wildfire Risks-Western US

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SEATTLE (Reuters) - Western U.S. states, which had
below-average rainfall last winter and are currently
experiencing unusually dry weather, face a high risk of forest
fires this summer, a local fire and land agency said
Monday.
Paul Werth, a weather expert at the Northwest Interagency
Coordination Center, said that a report due to be presented to
state governors Tuesday will warn of the increased risk of
major wildfires breaking out over the coming months in a region
of the United States that is especially prone to raging summer
blazes.
"The biggest reason in combination is the dry weather that
we've had in June and the fact that we don't see any
significant rainfall through the remainder of the month," Werth
said.
Last year, dry winds fanned massive flames that were fueled
by the region's oily and dense brush, forest and grassland.
Werth said that the Pacific Northwest states of Washington and
Oregon alone saw 3,700 fires burn 1.1 million acres
of land -- two to three times the yearly average.
Forests on both sides of the Cascades mountain range, a
North-South span of snow-capped mountains that span Washington
and and Oregon, were at risk of spawning major blazes.
Also at risk for major wildfires are most of California,
Arizona, Nevada and Utah as well as the southern half of Idaho,
the western third of Wyoming, southern Montana and western
Colorado, Werth said.
The report is aimed at helping local communities and
firefighters prepare for the blazes, but tight budgets in state
governments might translate into less resources to fight the
fires, which rage for weeks and can consume hundreds of
thousands of acres of wooded forest.
REUTERS

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Summary-June 17th

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - A 300-acre wildfire closed the highway
to Lake Tahoe on Tuesday before firefighters began bringing it
under control, while a prescribed burn in Arizona escaped control
lines and forced the evacuation of about 15 homes.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or property damage
in the fire near Carson City. The Nevada Division of Forestry
reported Tuesday evening the fire was 85 percent contained and was
expected to be fully contained by Wednesday morning.
"We throw the world at it. You can always turn them around,"
said division spokeswoman Kelli Baratti.
The fire in central Arizona was within a half-mile of homes in
an area about three miles north of Cherry, officials said. The
4,500-acre fire escaped the northern perimeter on Tuesday.
In the eastern part of the state, a 10,618-acre fire about 15
miles from Alpine was brought under control on Tuesday.
In Alaska, a 10,000-acre fire burned through the Goodpaster
Valley southeast of Fairbanks, threatening a handful of
recreational cabins.
The fire began with a lightning strike Saturday. Firefighters
returning by helicopter Sunday night said they could not contain
the fire because there was no nearby water source.
The National Interagency Fire Center said the number and acreage
of large wildfires nationally is running about 30 percent below
average. However, the agency said much of the Interior West,
Northwest and portions of California and the Northern Rockies still
are expected to have an above-normal fire season.
Two large fires are burning within the Gila National Forest in
southwestern New Mexico. One, sparked by lightning April 17, has
burned 51,000 acres, said Loretta Ray, a spokeswoman national
forest. That fire is contained. Another, also sparked by lightning,
has burned about 15,000 acres.
"They're low intensity fires. It's been a good opportunity to
allow fire to resume its role in the ecosystem," Ray said. "It's
a real challenge for us to explain to people that it's not a real
catastrophic fire danger."
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On the Net:
National Interagency Fire Center: http://www.nifc.gov/

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)