Hot, dry weather challenging wildfire fighting efforts



SEATTLE  — Hot, dry weather continues to hamper firefighting efforts across Washington state as smoke causes air-quality concerns.

A wildfire in central Washington state has crossed the border into Canada. The so-called Diamond Creek fire has burned 107 square miles and is affecting air quality in the Methow Valley.



Crystal Mountain Resort closed Monday due to smoke from the Norse Peak fire, burning about 126 miles southeast of Seattle.

By Sunday, that fire had burned 27.5 square miles and was only 8 percent contained.



A fire near Cle Elum, about 83 miles east of Seattle, has grown to 33 square miles.

That blaze prompted the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office to impose evacuation orders on about 2,200 residents in the Roslyn, Ronald and Lake Cle Elum areas.