WINTHROP, Wash. — Pushed by erratic winds, a massive wildfire in north-central Washington was growing rapidly and burning in new directions Saturday.
Road closures and evacuations changed quickly as hot weather and winds with gusts up to 30 mph pushed the fire over ridge tops and toward a cluster of small towns northeast of Seattle.
“This is a very active and fluid situation,” said fire spokesman Chuck Turey.
As of Saturday morning, the lightning-caused fire had scorched 336 square miles in the Methow Valley. The fire was measured at 260 square miles Friday.
Residents between Carlton and Pateros have been told to leave their homes.
Officials said there are no reports of serious injuries and only one more structure burned overnight.
Airplanes and helicopters dropped water and fire retardant on the fire, with no one area more of a concern than another, Turey said.
“We’re seeing some wind shifts so that the fire is going to be pushed in some directions it hasn’t been pushed to date,” he said, adding that in some places, the wind is pushing the fire back on itself.
The fire has calmed down near Pateros, where it destroyed about 100 homes Thursday and Friday, said Okanogan County Sheriff Frank Rogers.
“It’s just starting to run out of places to burn,” he said.
The active fire was burning in an area that is more sparsely populated, with homes scattered throughout the woods and along the highway. “There’s people who live all around up there,” Rogers said.
