MOSES LAKE – The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning Monday afternoon in light of extreme high temperatures, potential for high winds and low relative humidity throughout the Pacific Northwest, but especially on the western side of the Cascades.
"Today's red flag warnings are in effect for extremely hot, dry, unstable weather west of the Cascade crest,” said Regional Fire Planner for the Pacific Northwest Region of the Forest Service Ian Rickert. “The challenging fire weather conditions coincide with areas that are experiencing abnormally dry to severe drought.” .
PORTLAND, Ore. Almost 85% of all fires in the Northwest this year have been caused by human action, according to data from the Northwest Interagency Fire Center, which tracks wildfires in Washington and Oregon.
LAHAINA, Hawaii The wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii had claimed at least 80 lives as of Saturday, according to the Associated Press.
The city of just under 13,000 on the island of Maui was left in ashes by a fire that began Tuesday, according to the AP. A combination of high winds, an small firefighting force and power outages that interfered with fire warnings made matters worse.
“I am devastated by the lives lost and the destruction in Lahaina,” Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands wrote in a statement.