Nakia Creek Fire explodes amid powerful winds, forcing thousands of evacuations in Washington state

By Nouran Salahieh, CNN

Fueled by powerful winds and unseasonably hot temperatures, a wildfire burning in Washington state exploded to 2,000 acres Sunday, forcing thousands of evacuations.

The Nakia Creek Fire began October 9 on Larch Mountain, northeast of Camas in Clark County near the Oregon border, smoldering and creeping through steep, rocky terrain in the Yacolt Burn State Forest.

The fire grew from 156 acres to 2,000 acres in a matter of hours Sunday amid severe weather conditions, with extreme warm temperatures, low humidity and high winds, according to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.

On Monday, the fire was about 1,565 acres in size, Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency said, a day after noting the size reported Sunday was a “very rough estimate.” Several new firefighting crews arrived overnight Sunday.

Firefighters reported good progress battling the blaze earlier in the week. Then weather conditions worsened, with winds fanning the flames as they tore through dry timber, brush and grass. The fire was 5% contained by Sunday night.

“The easterly winds were so strong today that air assets were grounded at times for safety,” Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency officials said in a Sunday evening update. Heavy smoke from about 10 large fires along the Oregon and Washington border also grounded some aircraft fighting the fire on Sunday.

Weather conditions are more favorable Monday, but “there are still a lot of uncertainties,” CRESA said Monday.

Fire-fighting activities are dependent on the weather. Please be patient, but be prepared,” CRESA said. “We urge folks to err on the side of caution.”

A Red Flag Warning for the region expired Sunday night, according to the National Weather Service Portland.

As the fire exploded in extremely steep terrain, more residents were told to leave their homes.

Nearly 3,000 homes were under evacuation orders as of Sunday night, and thousands more were told to get ready to flee.

Inmates from Larch Corrections Center in Yacolt were evacuated to other corrections facilities, state authorities said Sunday.

The Washington Department of Corrections said it is working with county emergency officials to determine the “best course of action to ensure the health and safety of our staff and those in our care and custody.”

This year’s fire season has been a long one for fire crews in Washington State, who have been putting in long days for several months, Clark County officials said, noting that fire season is usually over for the area in October.

“With the current weather patterns here in the PNW, we have another good week of potential fire weather,” Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency officials said, describing a fire official telling crews that “while the calendar may say it’s October 16th … I need you to think like it’s August 16th.”

Some cities in the area saw record high temperatures over the weekend. The temperature in Seattle hit 88 degrees Sunday, marking its second-warmest October day on record and breaking the daily record of 72 degrees set in 2018, according to the National Weather Service.

Authorities reported other fires in the area Sunday, including near Chelatchie Prairie and Sunset Campground in Clark County, as well as several in neighboring Skamania County.

As the firefight continues, winds are expected to ease but temperatures will remain well above average for the next few days, CNN Meteorologist Robert Shackelford said.

The Nakia Fire is in an area where temperatures are around 10 degrees above average, and the hot conditions will linger until Thursday before dropping to average and below average for the weekend, Shackelford said. Rain is also likely over the weekend, bringing some much-needed relief for firefighters.

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CNN’s Hannah Sarisohn and Caroll Alvarado contributed to this report.