Washington Wildfires Burn 500K Acres; Air Quality Alert Extended

SEATTLE, WA — Record heat and extremely dry conditions continue Thursday as firefighters are working to contain 10 major wildfires burning across Washington.

According to the state's most recent data, more than 500,000 acres have burned in Washington since the beginning of the week. That figure equals about half of the state's largest fire season on record, when more than one million acres burned between June and September 2015.

Temperatures are forecast to begin tapering off toward seasonable ranges Friday, but the earliest chance of rain is not expected to arrive until Monday.

Key wildfire updates

The Cold Springs Fire, which ignited Sunday in Okanogan County, has burned 172,000 acres and is 10 percent contained, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. On Wednesday, officials confirmed the death of an infant and critical injuries to his parents resulting from the fire.

The Pearl Hill Fire, burning in neighboring Douglas County, has burned 160,000 acres and is 10 percent contained. The Apple Acres Fire has burned 6,300 acres north of Chelan and is 36 percent contained.

In Pierce County, the Sumner Grade Fire remains 20 percent contained and approximately 800 acres in size. No changes have been made to previously announced evacuations.

Related: Poor Air Quality From Fires Could Hit 'Unhealthy' Levels Friday

'Super-massive' smoke plume approaches; air quality alert extended to Monday

According to the Washington Smoke Blog, a "super-massive body of smoke" began to move over Southwest Washington Thursday morning, in a combined plume from fires burning in Oregon and California. So far, the smoke has stayed at high altitude, but air quality forecasts show areas in the unhealthy range or lower beginning Thursday night on the peninsula, then moving through the I-5 Corridor.

An air quality alert that was set to expire Thursday is now extended into Monday.

From the National Weather Service:

Smoke from fires in eastern Washington and across portions of the south Sound and Cascade Foothills will continue push over the area through this evening. Winds are expected to shift to a southerly/southwesterly direction Friday [and] into the weekend, which will bring smoke from fires in Oregon into Western Washington, keeping air quality reduced. Additional updates may be warranted depending on how thick this smoke is as it moves into the region. Expect conditions to be worse during the overnight hours through this period as calmer winds will allow smoke to settle.