Gusty winds and heat are challenging crews fighting fires in the northwest. More than 327-thousand acres are burning in Oregon. And nearly 2-thousand homes are threatened. The Canyon Creek Complex Fire near John Day in eastern Oregon has destroyed 36 homes.
There is a red flag warning in effect for much of Oregon. Gusty winds, high temperatures and low humidity increase fire activity. Jennifer Myslivy is with Canyon Creek Fire public information. She says the deaths of three people yesterday working a fire in Washington are a huge blow to firefighting crews in the region.
Myslivy: "We take that very seriously. We talked about it in our briefing this morning. We have a thing called 6 minutes for safety. Taking those first 6 minutes before you head out on a fire line. Thinking before you take that step, knowing that you want to come home."
More evacuations have been put in place for areas around the Canyon Creek Fire. In Douglas County, more residents have been put on notice to leave their homes if conditions worsen on the Stouts Creek Fire. Governor Kate Brown has called in the National Guard to help fight wildfires in Oregon.