At least a dozen homes burn, hundreds evacuated as Sleepy Hollow Fire grows to 1,700 acres





WENATCHEE, Wash. -- A wildfire burned out of control late Sunday in central Washington, growing to 2.6 square miles and forcing residents in hundreds of homes to evacuate, authorities said.

At least a dozen homes have been destroyed, said Rich Magnussen with the Chelan County Sheriff's Office.

The fire began Sunday afternoon outside the city of Wenatchee, but was burning within the city limits late Sunday night, Magnussen said.

The cause of the fire was uncertain, but temperatures in the region have been in the 100s for days, and rainfall has been scarce.

An evacuation center has been set up at Eastmont High School in East Wenatchee

Latest evacuation information from Chelan County:



Crews and trucks from Chelan and Douglas County fire districts, as well as Seattle and Pierce County, were responding, and at least one helicopter was dropping water on the fire by 5 p.m.

WSP said state fire assistance has been mobilized to bring additional support to Chelan County.



A heat advisory remained in effect Sunday evening with temperatures in the area reaching nearly 110 degrees. The forecast called for more hot weather on Monday.

The sheriff's office said an evacuation center that was originally set up at the 7th Day Adventist School has been moved to Eastmont High School at 955 3rd Street NE in East Wenatchee. The fairgrounds were open for livestock.



Last week, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee issued an emergency proclamation, saying the state was under extreme wildfire risk.

"The fire danger now is unlike any we've seen in a long time, if ever," he said. "We need to be prepared for the possibility of an unprecedented fire season."

CNN contributed to this report.