Wildfires rage across Washington as drought and heat fuel painful summer: ‘It’s not normal’

Hundreds of structures damaged as firefighters battle to contain 15 major wildfires amid extreme heat and drought

Firefighters in Washington state are battling wildfires that have forced 60,000 people to flee and destroyed hundreds of buildings as drought and extreme heat fuel an extraordinary" fire season in the Pacific north-west.

Fifteen major blazes are raging across the state, David Upthegrove, the head of Washington's department of natural resources, told reporters over the weekend.