By Sharon Bernstein
(Reuters) – Cooler weather overnight helped firefighters in Washington State shrink a wildfire burning in a forested area about 20 miles east of Vancouver, officials said Monday.
The Nakia Creek Fire in Clark County exploded on Sunday to about 2,000 acres, but by Monday morning was down to 1565 acres and 20% contained, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources said on the Inciweb fire tracking site.
Dozens of wildfires have plagued Western U.S. states in recent years, as climate change exacerbates drought patterns, drying out trees and other plants to make fuel as warm temperatures and high winds provide dangerous conditions for fires to grow.
About 3,000 households were evacuated from the area near several trailheads, along with prisoners at the Larch Mountain Corrections Center in Yacolt, Washington.
Smoke is heavy in nearby communities, but officials said it was coming from about ten fires burning from the Canadian Border to the Columbia River, including five new blazes that broke out on Sunday.
In an update Monday morning, the Clark Regional Emergency Services agency said the weather was expected to remain favorable to firefighters, but that it was still unclear how much progress would be made.
The Nakia Creek fire was caused by humans, the Inciweb site said, and the Clark County Fire Marshall is investigating.
(Reporting by Sharon Bernstein; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
