There are a total of 17 “large” wildfires actively burning in Oregon and Washington, the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center said in an Aug. 29 report. Nearly 5,000 firefighters are battling the various fires, consuming more than 125,000 acres of forest and grassland in the region.
Northwest Interagency Coordination Center fire management specialist Zachary Ellinger told KOIN 6 News that these wildfire statistics account for all fires or fire complexes larger than 100 acres. However, there are many other smaller or still unknown fires that are currently not included in the report. “There are some fires that we either don’t know about or are not staffed,” Ellinger said.
In Washington, firefighters are facing five “large” wildfires, which have burned a total of 33,128 acres. Roughly 1,546 firefighters are battling these fires, including 90 engines and 11 helicopters.