Twisp, Wash. • Reduced winds on Saturday helped firefighters gain the upper hand against a series of giant wildfires in north-central Washington that earlier left three firefighters dead.
The Okanogan Complex of wildfires was measured at 355 square miles Saturday, about 100 miles larger than Friday, fire spokesman Rick Isaacson said.
But the flames were moving away from population centers in Okanogan County. But thousands of people in the county remained under evacuation orders after strong winds drove flames across parched ground earlier this week.
Brad Craig of Omak was told to evacuate Wednesday, but he kept coming back to check on his home. "I was coming over several times a day to check on it," Craig said.
On Saturday, he found flames about 30 yards from his back deck. With the help of firefighters, he beat back the flames and was confident he had saved his house.
"I'm feeling a whole lot better than I was three hours ago," Craig said.
Sheriff Frank Rogers said it was too early to say how many homes had burned in the county of 5,300 square miles. The official tally of three homes and 33 other structures lost was preliminary, he said.
"That'll take weeks," Rogers said. "I know we are going to have quite a few."
These fires are burning only one or a handful of homes at a time, not entire neighborhoods, Rogers said. "It's not 45 or 50 in one spot," he said.
Resources were so strained that on Saturday fire officials began providing basic fire training to volunteers who have machinery like backhoes and bulldozers so they can help dig fire lines.
Meanwhile, a second of the four firefighters injured in a wildfire Wednesday has been transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, the Northwest's major burn center. The firefighter was transferred Friday night and is listed in satisfactory condition, Harborview spokeswoman Susan Gregg said Saturday. Gregg did not release the firefighter's identity or the extent of his injuries, but she said he was a 47-year-old man from the Okanogan area.
"His thoughts are with the other injured firefighters and those who died," Gregg said.
Three firefighters were killed and four injured when flames overtook them Wednesday while they were battling the Okanogan Complex of wildfires. Tom Zbyszewski, Richard Wheeler and Andrew Zajac died when flames consumed their crashed vehicle as they tried to escape the fire.
Another firefighter remains in critical condition at Harborview with burns over 60 percent of his body. Officials have said the injured firefighters were trying to escape the flames on foot.
The firefighter who was newly admitted to Harborview is an employee of the state Department of Natural Resources, agency spokesman Bob Redling said. He was initially treated and released from a hospital in Okanogan, then asked to go to Harborview, Redling said.
On Saturday, winds that blew at 35 mph or more earlier in the week let up.
"The winds have died down," said Angela Seydel, spokeswoman for Okanogan County Emergency Management.
Flames on Saturday were moving away from population centers in the county of 41,000 people, Sheriff Rogers said.
About 50 volunteers showed up at Omak City Hall on Saturday morning to receive training so they can help with the firefighting effort. Most were ranchers or loggers who had their own heavy equipment. They went to a classroom to be briefed on fire safety and were taught how to deploy emergency fire shelters. The volunteers would be called up next week, said Joe Smillie, a spokesman for the state Department of Natural Resources.
A firefighting helicopter drops water on flames near a home Friday, Aug. 21, 2015, in Tonasket, Wash. Out-of-control blazes in the north-central part of the state have destroyed buildings, but the situation is so chaotic that authorities have "no idea" how many homes may have been lost. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
A firefighting helicopter fills its bucket in view of a United States flag while making runs dumping water on flames threatening homes nearby Friday, Aug. 21, 2015, in Tonasket, Wash. Out-of-control blazes in the north-central part of the state have destroyed buildings, but the situation is so chaotic that authorities have "no idea" how many homes may have been lost. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Flames from a wildfire rise atop a hillside near homes below Friday, Aug. 21, 2015, in Tonasket, Wash. The flames were knocked-down within minutes by a firefighting helicopter dropping water. Wildfires picked up their destructive pace across the drought-choked West on Friday, leading residents to flee their homes and authorities to scramble for resources to beat back the flames. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
A wildfire burns on the south side of Lake Chelan across the lake from the town of Manson, Wash., Friday, Aug. 21, 2015. Massive wildfires expanding across the arid state have so overtaxed firefighters that the federal government declared an emergency and state officials took the unprecedented step of seeking volunteers to help fight the flames. (Alan Berner/The Seattle Times via AP) SEATTLE OUT; USA TODAY OUT; MAGS OUT; ONLINE OUT; TELEVISION OUT; NO SALES; MANDATORY CREDIT TO BOTH THE SEATTLE TIMES AND THE PHOTOGRAPHER
A helicopter gets water from Lake Chelan near Manson, Wash., to fight a nearby wildfire Friday, Aug. 21, 2015. Massive wildfires expanding across the arid state have so overtaxed firefighters that the federal government declared an emergency and state officials took the unprecedented step of seeking volunteers to help fight the flames. (Alan Berner/The Seattle Times via AP) SEATTLE OUT; USA TODAY OUT; MAGS OUT; ONLINE OUT; TELEVISION OUT; NO SALES; MANDATORY CREDIT TO BOTH THE SEATTLE TIMES AND THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Okanogan volunteer firefighter Andy Cruz uses a torch to burn out an area between a house and the main fire Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015, in Okanogan, Wash. Out-of-control blazes in north-central Washington have destroyed buildings, but the situation is so chaotic that authorities have "no idea" how many homes may have been lost. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
A firefighter looks over at a fire being used to burn out an area between a house and the main wildfire Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015, in Okanogan, Wash. Out-of-control blazes in north-central Washington have destroyed buildings, but the situation is so chaotic that authorities have "no idea" how many homes may have been lost. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Okanogan fire captain Christian Johnson, right, walks past as firefighter Andy Cruz torches grass to burn out an area between a house and a main wildfire Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015, in Okanogan, Wash. Out-of-control blazes in north-central Washington have destroyed buildings, but the situation is so chaotic that authorities have "no idea" how many homes may have been lost. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Okanogan volunteer firefighter Andy Cruz looks back at a controlled fire Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015, in Okanogan, Wash. Out-of-control blazes in north-central Washington have destroyed buildings, but the situation is so chaotic that authorities have "no idea" how many homes may have been lost. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
A firefighter looks over a controlled fire being used to burn out an area between a house and the main fire Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015, in Okanogan, Wash. Out-of-control blazes in north-central Washington have destroyed buildings, but the situation is so chaotic that authorities have "no idea" how many homes may have been lost. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Okanagon volunteer firefighter Ethan Freel hoses down a tree as he allows grasses to burn out around it in a controlled burn Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015, in Okanogan, Wash. Out-of-control blazes in north-central Washington have destroyed buildings, but the situation is so chaotic that authorities have "no idea" how many homes may have been lost. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
A car and motorcycle are left parked in the middle of a well-watered field as a safeguard against fire as smoke from a wildfire fills the valley behind Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015, in Okanogan, Wash. Out-of-control blazes in north-central Washington have destroyed buildings, but the situation is so chaotic that authorities have "no idea" how many homes may have been lost. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
A group of firefighters head up a hill to keep an eye on an area burning between houses and the main fire Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015, in Okanogan, Wash. Out-of-control blazes in north-central Washington have destroyed buildings, but the situation is so chaotic that authorities have "no idea" how many homes may have been lost. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Volunteers learn to deploy fire shelters with practice equipment after a call out by fire officials seeking to supplement their usual resources Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015, in Omak, Wash. Reduced winds on Saturday helped firefighters gain the upper hand against the series of giant wildfires in north-central Washington that earlier left three firefighters dead. The Okanogan Complex of wildfires was measured at 355 square miles on Saturday, about 100 miles larger than Friday, fire spokesman Rick Isaacson said. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
A group of firefighters head up a hill to keep an eye on an area burning between houses and the main fire Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015, in Okanogan, Wash. Out-of-control blazes in north-central Washington have destroyed buildings, but the situation is so chaotic that authorities have "no idea" how many homes may have been lost. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Dennis Ayika, left, shakes hands with Joe Welton after Welton stopped to help Ayika, a stranger, put out hot spots along a road following a wildfire Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015, in Okanogan, Wash. Ayika, a business owner in the area, bought the 220-gallon water tank for the back of his pick-up truck a day earlier to go help out on his own and Welton showed-up with a shovel. Out-of-control blazes in north-central Washington have destroyed buildings, but the situation is so chaotic that authorities have "no idea" how many homes may have been lost. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
This undated photo provided by the Zbyszewski family, shows Tom Zbyszewski at an unknown location. Zbyszewski, was one of three firefighters killed battling wildfires in Washington State Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2015. Zbyszewski, Andrew Zajac, 26, and Richard Wheeler, 31, died when, authorities said the men's vehicle crashed and flames rolled over them before they could escape, near the north-central town of Twisp, Wash. (Courtesy Zbyszewski family via AP)
In this photo taken on Friday, Aug. 21, 2015, Lacey firefighter Ryan Sundberg puts out a burning tree which fell across Salmon Creek Road outside of Okanogan County, as wildfires continue to burn through out north-central Washington, in Omak, Wash. (Genna Martin/The Herald via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
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