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The Carlton Complex fire seared 390 square miles and destroyed 300 homes in Pateros and Brewster area. The fire was 66 percent contained as of July 28. Residents will likely see columns of smoke “probably until snow flies this fall,” said incident spokesman, Jim Schwarber. Everett Herald (Wash.), July 29, 2014 The Carlton Complex charred nearly 400 square miles and was 16 percent contained on July 22. President Obama signed an emergency declaration on July 23, due to the onslaught of wildfires over the previous two weeks. The declaration allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security to manage disaster relief and assist state and local agencies with resources and equipment. Missoula Missoulian (Mont.), July 23, 2014 The wildfires in Washington and Oregon have scorched more land than any full year in the last decade. Much of the almost 1,400 square miles that burned in the two states has been grassland and comprised more than two-thirds of the country’s wildfire losses since January. The Carlton Complex in north-central Washington, the largest fire burning, has charred roughly 380 square miles, destroyed around 150 structures and was just 2 percent contained on July 21. The largest fire in Oregon, the Buzzard Complex, has consumed 369,000 acres of mostly grassland in the eastern part of the state and has left much of the state’s valuable timber unharmed. New York Times, July 21, 2014 Nearly one million acres of land in Washington and Oregon burned in recent weeks since lightning strikes sparked many fires. Dozens of homes were destroyed, while thousands of homes and buildings remained threatened by the fires. Twenty counties in eastern Washington and all of Oregon were in a state of emergency. Los Angeles Times, July 20, 2014