Weekend storms could spark more wildfires

NORTH CASCADES, Wash. — Several fires are burning across Western Washington.

With thunderstorms rolling through parts of the state, it could mean trouble for fire crews.

Tim Kjellman is with a team helping to fight the Ruby Fire in the North Cascades. He says rain should help with containment and visibility, but it brings additional challenges.

“A lot of the times too, what rain brings is wind,” says Kjellman. “And that wind can cause the fire to flare up a little bit.  So, it can be a little bit of a mixed blessing sometimes. And of course, there’s always that danger of mud slides.”

The Department of Natural Resources is also warning of protentional flash flooding and lighting this weekend.

“Gustier winds are expected, really from the Cascades eastward. And so that could also exacerbate existing fires and any new fires that are ignited by lightning,” says Mason Friedman, a wildfire meteorologist with DNR.

Friedman says weekend rain is not a quick fix for wildfire season.

“We’re definitely not through fire season,” says Friedman. “We have a ways to go.”

Several nearby campgrounds are being shut down in the North Cascades National Park because of the Ruby Fire on Ruby Mountain.

The wildfire has grown to more than 820 acres in the last week. Containment is at 0%. Kjellman expects it to be late fall or winter before the Ruby Fire is fully extinguished.

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