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Okanogan County Residents Look For Remnants Of Lives In Burned Homes

The Carlton Complex's 'dangerous nature' has made it the No. 1 fire in the country according to the Washington DNR.
Jessica Robinson
/
Northwest News Network
The Carlton Complex's 'dangerous nature' has made it the No. 1 fire in the country according to the Washington DNR.

Residents of fire-ravaged central Washington say they're in a “state of shock.” Fires destroyed more houses over the weekend and prompted additional evacuation notices.

The Carlton Complex's 'dangerous nature' has made it the No. 1 fire in the country according to the Washington DNR.
Credit Jessica Robinson / Northwest News Network
/
Northwest News Network
The Carlton Complex's 'dangerous nature' has made it the No. 1 fire in the country according to the Washington DNR.

Now, some people in Okanogan County are sifting through the rubble of their former homes.

Kelsey Verbeck and her husband grabbed a few items before evacuating their home in Pateros, Washington. A diaper bag for their newborn and work clothes for the next day.

Verbeck didn't think the wall of flames moving over the ridge would reach their house. They live right in town, just below a well-watered orchard.

“We thought we'd be fine," she said. "And within 15 minutes it was already down to Pateros burning the houses and just moving over super-fast. So we just got in the car and took off.”

Verbeck and her husband returned to a black and gray scar on the ground. She said they couldn't even find a lock box with birth certificates and social security cards. The box was supposed to be fireproof.

The governors of both Oregon and Washington have declared a state of emergency because of fires burning in their states. Crews are trying to make as much progress as they can before another round of lightning storms hits this week.

Copyright 2014 Northwest News Network

Jessica Robinson
Jessica Robinson reported for four years from the Northwest News Network's bureau in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho as the network's Inland Northwest Correspondent. From the politics of wolves to mining regulation to small town gay rights movements, Jessica covered the economic, demographic and environmental trends that have shaped places east of the Cascades. Jessica left the Northwest News Network in 2015 for a move to Norway.
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