Fires burning across Washington state have grown to about 390,000 acres and killed three firefighters. Now elected officials are asking the Obama administration for federal money to help fight them.
In Chelan, Washington, Senator Patty Murray said she was worried about firefighters’ safety and that the federal government needs to focus on paying for firefighting.
“We’ve been robbing other funds for too long now,” she said. “And we’re all trying to look at what policy is the best policy to have in place so we can make sure we are ready for fires on the ground. What we can do for prevention. Working with all of our agencies. I think at the federal level it's really important that we look at how we are funding firefighting.”
Washington Governor Jay Inslee also appeared in Chelan to be briefed at the fire line and speak to the press. He has asked President Barack Obama for more federal aid.
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell said she has asked for the request to be expedited.
