Weather Could Cause Trouble For Washington Fire Crews

Weather is expected to cause more problems Monday for fires in north central Washington. The Okanogan Complex is burning more than 250,000 acres.

High temperatures, low humidity, and whipped up winds are a recipe for fire growth -- and all three have crews in North Central Washington worried.

Clay Templin is the at the Chelan Complex incident commander, which is burning near the massive Okanogan Complex.

“If we start to get those winds, as it gets hotter the smoke lifts, and so the fire is going to become more active,” he said.

Thick smoke is making it difficult for helicopters to drop water near homes. Two of the five fires in the Okanogan Complex recently combined as the wind blew them together.

Thousands of people are still under mandatory evacuation notices while homes and buildings are threatened.

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