Crews battle dozens of Western fires

Crews battle dozens of Western fires

CLE ELUM, Wash. (AP) — Calmer winds gave Washington state firefighters hope of containing a blaze that left dozens of families homeless, while residents of two small Idaho towns planned to gather today and discuss evacuation plans because of a growing nearby wildfire.

About 800 people were assigned to fight the Taylor Bridge fire located near Cle Elum, about 75 miles east of Seattle. Better weather conditions made fire managers optimistic.

“We should have a good day,” incident commander Rex Reed said early today.

In central Idaho, fire managers planned to gather residents of Featherville and Pine to discuss evacuation plans as the Trinity Ridge fire, which is burning on about 100 square miles, grew closer. Campers in the area have already been told to leave.

Dry conditions, heat and strong winds are taxing thousands of firefighters in California. And smoke from fires near Sacramento, Calif., had day care centers keeping kids indoors, school districts moving practice times for sports teams and doctors telling the elderly and very young to not go outside.

A wildfire west of Polson, Mont., burned about 7 square miles of grassland and timber and forced the evacuations of 15 residents, while in Wyoming firefighters used a helicopter Tuesday to safely extract five backcountry recreationists whose only escape route was threatened by a wildfire in the Shoshone National Forest.