Here is a brief look at forest fire developments in the Western states:
Forest fires are burning in seven western states, specifically, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. In Alaska, all fires are now inactive. The most threatening of seventeen major blazes in Idaho broke through a control line and raced to within a mile of ranches and grain fields. Montana's governor said 5,000 firefighters there are in their third week of duty. He put the firefighting cost at $15 million. Officials closed areas of parkland throughout the west due to fire risk. The U.S. Forest Service, predicting a hot and dry Labor Day weekend, is closing additional areas.