OKANOGAN, Wash.—Firefighters from as far as Australia and New Zealand have arrived in the West as massive wildfires raging in Washington state and elsewhere in the region taxed resources and led officials to put out a wide call for help.
In Washington, a series of fires raging in the north-central part of the state that earlier killed three firefighters has now grown to become the largest in state history, fire spokesman Rick Isaacson said Monday.
The lightning-caused Okanogan Complex of fires were measured overnight at just over 400 square miles. That’s slightly more than last year’s Carlton Complex blazes, which also were sparked by lightning and burned in Okanogan County.
“I'd like to set some different records,” Okanogan County Sheriff Frank Rogers said Monday.
