3 firefighters killed in Wash. wildfire

3 firefighters killed in Wash. wildfire

TWISP, WASH.

Three firefighters were killed and three to four others were injured Wednesday as raging wildfires advanced on towns in north-central Washington, authorities said.

Okanogan County Sheriff Frank Rogers said the deaths, in a wildfire near Twisp, had been confirmed, but he said he was not immediately releasing further details about the circumstances.

The news came after officials urged people in the popular outdoor-recreation centers of Twisp and Wintrop, in the scenic Methow River valley about 115 miles northeast of Seattle, to evacuate as a complex of fires in the area covered about 50 square miles.

‘Superbug’ found

PASADENA, CALIF.

A Los Angeles-area hospital said Wednesday that some of its patients contracted an antibiotic-resistant “superbug” that has been linked to a type of medical scope and infected dozens of people around the country.

Huntington Memorial Hospital said in a statement that it notified public health authorities after several patients who had procedures using Olympus Corp. duodenoscopes were found to have the resistant pseudomonas bacteria.

The hospital said it has quarantined the scopes while it investigates whether they may be linked to the infections. The Los Angeles Times said the problem was discovered in June and three patient infections have been reported to health officials.

Manager credited with saving dozens in big motel blast

SEATTLE

A fast-acting manager who evacuated a Washington motel minutes before a massive explosion is being credited with saving dozens of lives, including some who were staying in rooms that were reduced to rubble.

The blast Tuesday night critically injured a gas company worker and knocked back firefighters, but the guests were safely away before it tore apart the Motel 6 in Bremerton.

Two people initially were unaccounted for. However, Bremerton Fire Chief Al Duke said Wednesday no bodies were found in the debris, and he was almost certain the missing guests were not caught in the explosion on the west side of Puget Sound.

Landslide debris too unstable to search

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA

Authorities haven’t begun clearing tons of logs and mud to search for three men believed buried by a landslide because the debris that crashed into a southeast Alaska town remained too unstable Wednesday.

Crews in Sitka unsuccessfully tried to stabilize the ground after part of a mountain gave way and swept tree-tangled muck into a construction site Tuesday. Workers tried using heavy equipment to divert stream water washing over the debris, which geologists were reviewing to see how responders can safely begin searching for the missing men, officials said.

Man’s arrest leads to underwater tunnel

CALEXICO, CALIF.

The arrest of a drug smuggler in scuba gear led to the discovery of a tunnel from Mexico that’s partially underwater and ends in a canal.

Evelio Padilla, of Honduras, pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court in San Diego to one count of possession of drugs with intent to distribute.

Border Patrol agents said they discovered Padilla in a wetsuit next to the All-American Canal, about 7 miles east of Calexico. Near him, they found a breathing tank with a “rebreather” to prevent surface bubbles, and vacuum-sealed packages that had a total of 55 pounds of cocaine. That led to the discovery of the 150-foot-long tunnel, which began in Mexicali, Mexico, and ended under the water of the canal.

Associated Press