Wildfires burn in parts of Washington state as temperatures heat up

SEATTLE (AP) _ Crews faced a threat of hotter, drier weather Monday as they battled wildfires in southeastern and north-central Washington state. <br/><br/>However, no major runs were reported by any of

Monday, August 28th 2006, 8:39 am

By: News On 6

SEATTLE (AP) _ Crews faced a threat of hotter, drier weather Monday as they battled wildfires in southeastern and north-central Washington state.

However, no major runs were reported by any of the fires during the night and most blazes continued growing slowly, firefighters said.

``Red-flag'' conditions of low humidity, wind and temperatures in the 90s and above were forecast for eastern sections of the state.

``It's definitely going be an active day today,'' firefighters' spokeswoman Dianne Bedell said Monday. ``We are expecting very active fire behavior.''

A group of fires southeast of Dayton was estimated at 64,000 acres, or about 100 square miles, on Monday. Those fires were started by lightning on Aug. 21.

Some cabins were evacuated Saturday, officials said.

A group of fires in the north-central part of the state, started by lightning in early July, had covered about 140,000 acres, or close to 220 square miles. Containment was at 48 percent, with full containment not expected until Oct. 1.