Help Arrives to Battle Growing Wildfire in Washington

Authorities have more than doubled the number of people battling a wildfire that has burned structures and forced the evacuation of homes in southwestern Washington near the Columbia River Gorge.

The blaze that began Sunday in the unincorporated area of Underwood across from Hood River, Oregon, had burned about 546 acres and was 5% contained as of Wednesday, according to a post on an interagency Facebook page backed by the state Department of Natural Resources.

Nearly 375 people are fighting the fire, with more on the way including an elite firefighting crew to work in challenging terrain on the fire’s western edge, according to the post.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire Washington