Firefighters gain upper hand on Northwest fires

Firefighters are making progress on several massive blazes around the Northwest. In Oregon, the Pole Creek Fire near Sisters is around 70 percent contained. Crews in central Washington are getting the upper hand on the 53,000-acre Wenatchee Complex, where another blaze flared up yesterday. And in Idaho fire bosses report minimal activity at the Mustang Complex along the Idaho-Montana border.

Wenatchee graphic designer Dennis Weddle made t-shirts commemorating the 2012 fires for some local firefighters. To his surprise, members of the public also wanted them.

“I guess it’s kind of like an event. The amount of fires. The amount of fire crews. The amount of smoke. For a while you could see the fires from Wenatchee.”

Weddle is using the profits from sales to buy breathing masks for local kids. Some unexpected winds Tuesday gave Washington residents east of the Cascades a breather from the smoke. But forecasters say it’s temporary.

According to Central Washington Hospital, 48 people came into the E.R. last week with respiratory problems from the smoke. Of those, 11 people were admitted.

On the Web:

Dennis Weddle’s commemorative t-shirts:

http://gratitudecrosses.com/Wenatchee-River-Complex-Fire-T-Shirt-Color-WRCMC.htm

Copyright 2012 Northwest News Network

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