Authorities have closed a section of Interstate 90 in Washington state because of a fast-moving wildfire pushed by heavy winds.
The Washington state Department of Natural Resources says the fire started Thursday afternoon near Kittitas, which is about 115 miles (185 kilometers) southeast of Seattle.
The fire had burned more than 4 square miles (10 square kilometers) as of Thursday evening. The interstate remained closed in both directions between Kittitas and Vantage.
Grant County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Sharon Parlmerton says another fire that sparked Thursday southeast of Kittitas prompted mandatory evacuations in the small town of Desert Aire. The Red Cross opened a shelter Thursday evening for evacuees at a junior high school in Mattawa.
The size of that fire and how many residents were told to evacuate weren’t immediately known.
Authorities have designated a deadly wildfire in Oregon as the top firefighting priority nationwide.
The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s office said Thursday afternoon that an additional 60-member team had arrived to help manage all aspects of the fire east of Portland in rural farmland.
The fire marshal says firefighters were able to limit growth on the fire Thursday, although strong winds led to growth at the south end near Deschutes River canyon.
Authorities found a man’s body inside the perimeter of a wildfire in Oregon and are trying to determine if he died before or during the blaze.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday that the man was found near a homeless encampment.
An autopsy will be done to determine the cause of death.
Earlier in the day, authorities released the name of a 64-year-old man who died Wednesday in a different Oregon wildfire about 350 miles to the northeast.
Investigators believe John Ruby was using his tractor to create a firebreak to protect a neighbor’s property when he was overcome by fast-moving flames.
More than 200 fires are burning around Oregon as the Pacific Northwest’s wildfire season gets underway.
Authorities have identified a man killed in an Oregon wildfire as 64-year-old John Ruby.
The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office says Ruby’s body was found Wednesday near a burned-out tractor.
Investigators believe he was trying to protect his neighbor’s property by clearing a strip of land to prevent the flames from advancing.
A man who identified himself as Ruby’s son declined to comment Thursday.
The blaze burning in north-central Oregon has scorched nearly 80 square miles (207 square kilometers) of wheat fields and grasslands
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