2 Die, Dozens of Homes Lost in Fires in Northwest

Hundreds of firefighters battled wildfires that charred thousands of acres of forest and rangeland in the Pacific Northwest on Thursday, leaving two lumberjacks dead, destroying dozens of homes and burning out cars and telephone lines.

The blazes, driven by dry weather and sparked by lightning, struck in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Smoke filled valleys and prompted the National Weather Service to issue a warning to drivers and those who suffer from respiratory problems.

Planes and helicopters dropped fire retardant and airlifted reinforcements, bulldozers carved out fire lanes and Army troops helped control a blaze near a military firing range.

Forced to Evacuate

“I got a pair of pants and a shirt,” said Pat Sims, forced to evacuate her home near Spokane in eastern Washington by a fast-moving blaze. “I didn’t even have a chance to get my wallet.”

Rescue workers Thursday found the bodies of two loggers who died trying to salvage equipment from a fast-spreading fire southeast of Roseburg, Ore.

“The fire came up the hill to them,” Douglas County Undersheriff Ray Duncan said. “From everything we’ve seen it must have been moving very fast. It appeared they crawled under one of the loaders to escape the flames.”

The blaze burned 7,000 acres by Thursday afternoon, destroying eight homes and closing a state highway. Students were evacuated from the Milo Adventist Academy, a boarding school, and parts of Milo were emptied.

Burned Hill

“It was a firestorm. You couldn’t have done that with 100 flame-throwers,” said Frank Ruble, looking at a burned hill near his home.

State Department of Forestry spokesman Jim Fisher said about 400 people and 22 bulldozers were on the fire lines, helped by overcast skies and diminished winds.

Sheriff’s spokeswoman Jennie McAllister said radio operators were maintaining communication after the fire burned down telephone poles.

The 900-acre Spokane fire destroyed 24 houses, many of them worth more than $100,000, and damaged 12 others before it was contained Thursday. Three people suffered minor injuries and more than 400 firefighters fought the blaze.

Copters Ferry Crews

In Idaho, helicopters ferried crews as 550 people fought a fire near Boise that raced through 1,800 acres.

In Oregon, an out-of-control fire burned about 500 acres in Umpqua National Forest.