Troops to help fight Western fires

Firefighters think expected rain will help contain Leavenworth, Washington's Icicle Complex fire

FORT LEWIS, Washington (CNN) -- Firefighters battling dozens of wildfires in the western United States can look to help from the U.S. military, which was set to begin training its troops on Tuesday.

The Army plans to send about 800 troops from two battalions near Fort Lewis, Washington, to help fight the fires. The first contingent begins training Tuesday and will be sent to a fire near Yakima, Washington, perhaps as early as Wednesday, according to a news release from Fort Lewis.

The second group will begin training Thursday, but an assignment has not been determined.

"The influx of the two military battalions will help us out," said Neal Hitchcock, National Coordinator Center Manager for the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). "I think we'll be able to continue to get people off the fires in a timely fashion, rested, and then filling back as the other crews that went out later reach their time limits."

VIDEO Rain and cooler weather are lifting spirits of beleaguered firefighters battling blazes in the U.S. Northwest (August 20) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Lilian Kim reports firefighters in Washington are gaining the upper hand (August 20) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

The NIFC said firefighting efforts might be boosted by wet weather as the week goes on. But meteorologists warned that strong winds could hamper efforts to battle blazes in California and Nevada.

Rick Ochoa, a fire meteorologist with the NIFC, said the center is keeping an eye on a storm system in the Gulf of Alaska that is expected to move into the Pacific Northwest and bring rain to many of the fire areas as early as Tuesday.

"It'll sit over the coast for about two to three days and that won't be enough to completely extinguish the fire, but it will sure knock them down for a few days," Ochoa said.

As the system moves in, Ochoa expects increasing, fire-fanning winds through California and the northern Rockies.

Ten new large fires were reported overnight into Monday, bringing to 40 the number of large fires ablaze, said NIFC officials. A large fire is defined as a fire burning uncontained and covering at least 100 acres.

They said more than 450,000 acres are aflame across nine states, mostly in the West. The good news is that five large fires were contained Sunday.

So far, about 2.8 million acres of forest have burned this year, making 2001 an average year for fires.

Center officials said 241 fires were reported Sunday into Monday but 96 percent were contained or extinguished in "initial attacks" by firefighters.

"We're under 300 (reports of) new fires a day and that always works in our favor," Hitchcock said.

The Pacific Northwest continued to be the hardest-hit area, but cooler weather in that region is aiding the more than 28,500 firefighters on the lines.

In Washington state, fire officials working to contain the Icicle Complex fire, which is threatening the tourist town of Leavenworth, are optimistic that the rain will help contain part of the blaze.

Because of progress establishing a line and containing the fire, officials decided to allow some evacuated residents to return to their homes in the Leavenworth area.

"It's all good," Art Wirtz told CNN on Monday morning.

More than 800 firefighters were working to contain the Icicle Complex, which has scorched more than 6,800 acres. Wirtz said he expected some 240 more fire personnel to help establish a fire line on the Icicle Complex.