BendiNewsTest: Pacific Northwest Burns as Drought Leads to Unprecedented Wildfire Activity

Nobody is fiddling while the Pacific Northwest burns in an unprecedented and devastating ‘ring of fire.’ Roughly 1 million acres of forest is currently ablaze in 21 separate wildfires in Washington and Oregon – the most the region has seen at any one time in recorded history. The fires were set off by the perfect storm: A wet spring was followed by severe drought conditions and then lightning passed through the area about a week ago. The biggest fire of the bunch, dubbed the Carlton Complex, is the largest in Washington’s history and has already consumed an area of northern Washington three times the size of Seattle. It’s currently just 52 percent contained.