PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — With seasonal lightning and easterly winds expected to move across the Pacific Northwest in the coming weeks, firefighters anticipate that more than 1.5 million acres of wildland in Oregon and Washington will continue to burn without help from “significant rain or snow.”
Twenty-six large wildfires are burning in national forests from Southern Oregon to the Canadian border. Although recent rains dampened some of these fires, the U.S. Forest Service cautioned on Aug. 8, most of the wildfires east of the Cascades remain dry and are expected to grow.
“Fire Managers in the Pacific Northwest predict that many wildfires currently burning in Washington and Oregon, and potentially new ones, will persist until the region experiences significant rain or snow this fall,” the U.S. Forest Service said.
Air Quality: Nearly all of Oregon affected by wildfire smoke