Wildfires Strike Northwest, Northern California
In the usually hard-hit Southwest and Rocky Mountain West, this year's fire season has been quieter.
Despite the extremely dry conditions in drought-afflicted southern California, the summer's most destructive fires have struck the Northwest and northern California, giving the region the unusual distinction of being the center of this year's wildfire season.
Washington and Oregon account for nearly half of the 2.5 million acres burned by wildfires this year. Over the past decade, only about 7 percent of the total acreage burned per year has been in the Northwest. Meanwhile, the fire-prone Rocky Mountain West and Southwest have been relatively quiet.
This week, the situation in the Northwest could become more dire as unusually hot weather and lightning storms threaten to stoke more fires.
Across the country, 39 large wildfires were burning Wednesday, covering 714,000 acres, according to the
