Nation IN BRIEF : THE WEST : Cool Weather Slows Spread of Fires

Cooler, calmer weather slowed the spread of forest fires in the Northwest, helping fire crews extend fire lines and easing the threat to houses. Across the West and the Plains, 30 major fires continued burning after charring 494,000 acres in Washington, Idaho, Montana and Oklahoma, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Ida. The weather also helped firefighters working on blazes in Washington state, and crews said they were within a day of fully containing the month-old Tyee Creek fire, which had covered 127,500 acres.