Nine firefighters were injured in a blaze in southwestern Oregon.More than 20 homes evacuated from the Left Hand Fire in Washington. The region is struggling with drought and high temperatures.
Nine firefighters have been injured and more than 20 homes are under mandatory evacuation orders as multiple fires burn in the Pacific Northwest.
The so-called Left Hand Fire has burned more than near Mount Rainier in Washington and was 15 percent contained as of Monday night, according to Inciweb.
The Level 3 evacuation order for the area , according to the wildfire management team. Another 270 homes are under a Level 2 alert, which means residents should be prepared to leave at any time, according to an update from the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, where the fire is burning about 30 miles northwest of Yakima.
Several roads in the area were also closed. Nearly 500 personnel are helping fight the fire, using aircraft and other equipment. Crews are also working to protect homes.
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A lightning strike sparked the blaze on July 23, according to Inciweb.
"A structure protection group will continue to work within the evacuation areas to create defensible space and other protection," the national forest statement said. "The highest-priority objectives continue to be protecting structures, communities and other values at risk along the (Highway) 410 corridor."
The Left Hand Fire burning near Mt. Rainier.
(Left Hand Fire Management Team)
The fire was one of several burning in the region over the weekend and into the beginning of the week.
In southwestern Oregon, awhen he was struck by rolling debris while working the so-called Milepost 97 blaze near Canyonville, KATU.com reported.
Eight other firefighters were injured battling the fire that has burned more than , according to Inciweb.
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The fire that is believed to have sparked from an illegal campfire forced the . Another 600 are threatened, according to Oregon Live.
Authorities warned motorists Tuesday morning to expect delays as fire crews remove hazardous trees south of Canyonville, the Associated Press reported.
Washington and Oregon — areas which are typically wet nine months of the year — have the the most widespread drought among the Lower 48 states, weather.com senior meteorologistJonathan Erdmansaid.
July and August are typically the region's driest months, but they have been struggling with drought for months, Erdman said. The first six months of 2019 were thefirst half of any year in Washington state in records dating to 1895, according to NOAA. Temperatures in Washington have also been higher than normal.
"Some light rain showers are possible by late this week in western Washington and far northwestern Oregon," said Erdman. "But it won't amount to much and may be accompanied by shifting winds and lightning strikes that could be more of a hazard than help for wildfires."