Huge brush fire subsides in central Washington

QUINCY, Wash. (AP) — An evacuation order for up to 300 people was lifted Wednesday as more firefighters were put to work on a wind-driven wildfire fueled by sagebrush in central Washington, officials said.

A survey Wednesday morning showed the blaze had covered more than 2.3 square miles — not the nearly 8 miles officials had feared on Tuesday — and was about 20 percent contained, said Lt. Bob Schwiesow of Douglas County Fire District 2.

The fire had been pushed by 25 mph wind, with higher gusts, as it spread through parts of Grant and Douglas counties near the small town of Trinidad, about 20 miles southeast of Wenatchee.

State firefighters were mobilized late Tuesday to help more than 100 firefighters from those counties and neighboring Chelan County, and officials hoped the fire would be contained by the end of the day.

"It's starting to look pretty good now," Schwiesow said.

The fire destroyed two barns and an old homestead that "hadn't had anybody in it for probably 20 years," Schwiesow said. No injuries were reported.

In Northern California, steep terrain and a lack of roads hindered efforts to get the last of California's wildfires under control. Thick smoke from the fire in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest near Junction City grounded firefighting aircraft. The fire covered 98 square miles and was 61 percent contained.

A mandatory evacuation order remained in effect Wednesday for outlying neighborhoods of Junction City, which has about 800 residents.

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