The Nakia Creek wildfire in Clark County, Washington, spread through 2,000 acres Sunday, prompting authorities to place almost 3,000 homes under evacuation orders on Sunday night, according to CNN.
The fire is reportedly spreading rapidly due to strong wind patterns and dry, hot weather, NWS Seattle tweeted Sunday.
Numerous wildfires continue across the Cascades this afternoon with smoke moving northward. Critical fire weather conditions into this evening with stronger winds and dry weather. #WAwx pic.twitter.com/n6TysHaStr
— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) October 16, 2022
The fire reportedly began on Oct. 9 on Larch Mountain near the Oregon border. The fire grew from there, burning through the Yacolt Burn State Forest and spreading from 156 acres to a staggering 2,000 acres on Sunday, according to CNN. (RELATED: Raging Wildfire Kills Two People, Threatens 1,500 Homes)
Firefighters have been combatting the fire since early last week and were reportedly seeing steady progress until easterly wind conditions fanned the flames, causing the the fire to spread rapidly. As of Sunday night, firefighters had contained around 5% of the fire, according to CNN..
Cities close to the fire have seen record high temperatures for this time of year, with Seattle hitting 88 degrees, the city’s second-warmest October day in history, according to CNN.
Several other fires were reported in the area on Sunday, including fires in Chelatchie Prairie and Sunset Campground in Clark County and several in neighboring Skamania County, CNN reported.