Correspondent Anna King brings us the sound of the front lines of the First Creek fire near Lake Chelan in north central Washington state.
Firefighters are using helicopters to battle the flames. They bumble like bees from the lake to the fire carrying buckets of water.
Firefighters are also using chainsaws. After a few trees, they have to sharpen the teeth on the saw one at a time. They cut down burning trees they can’t put out so they don’t drop onto heads.
And they’re digging handline. That means clearing small strips of earth of brush and grass so the fire can’t jump as easily down and up hills toward homes.
Sweat, shovels and garden hoses. Avoiding angry bees, snakes and giant rolling boulders. This is what it takes to fight fires in the West.
Fires burning around Lake Chelan are now at 123, 000 acres.