Smoke filled the air and teams of firefighters rushed to help as wildfires blazed across several western states last week. In Washington, Governor Christine Gregoire declared a statewide wildfire emergency. The state's largest fire had burned across 200 square miles. Nearly 3,000 firefighters battled the blaze.
On Thursday, more than 200 firefighters from Arizona and Oregon joined the fight against another cluster of wildfires in southeastern Washington. With forecasters predicting high temperatures and dry conditions, officials called for more help. "The growth potential for the fires is still extreme," said Louise Day, a fire information officer.
In eastern Oregon, lightning sparked fires that burned through tens of thousands of acres. Wildfires also raged in other western states, including Nevada, California and Idaho. Many people have been forced to leave their homes.
Some wildfires are a natural part of the life cycle of forests. They help clear dead trees and make way for new growth. Officials said most of the fires had been started by lightning and dry conditions. But some may have been set accidentally by people.
So far this year, wildfires have burned 7.2 million acres of land. That's an area slightly bigger than Vermont.