Tourists leave Lake Chelan as wildfires rage through Western United States

Wildfires raging through western United States have compelled the authorities to call up 200 active-duty soldiers to fight dozens of wildfires. This the first time in nine years that such a step has been taken as reported in foxnews.com dated 18 August 2015.

The National Interagency Fire Center has made the announcement that these active-duty military troops are being roped in to help. The teams would comprise 10 crews of 20 soldiers from the 17th Field Artillery Brigade of the 7th Infantry Division. The crews would train on Aug. 19 and leave on their mission the next day.
Their duties would most probably be in Washington State, Oregon, California, or Idaho. Incidentally, several large fires have threatened the Lake Chelan resort region of central Washington. Tourists are leaving as well as residents and fires have destroyed a warehouse filled with nearly 2 million pounds of apples.
The fires have come in the midst of the summer tourist season in the scenic town located along Lake Chelan in the Cascade Range and the economic impact of tourists leaving has yet to be assessed.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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