YAKIMA, Wash., Aug. 22 (UPI) -- A stubborn wildfire on the eastern slopes of the Cascades in Washington state should be contained by Friday, fire officials say.
The number of fire crews assigned to the Taylor Bridge fire in Kittitas County is being cut, the Yakima Herald-Republic reported. More than 1,000 firefighters were still working the fire late Tuesday.
"We expect that number to drop now and will continue to decline in the days ahead," Mark Morrow, a spokesman for the agencies fighting the fire, said.
The fire began Aug. 13 at a bridge construction site and has spread over more than 23,000 acres. Containment had been expected by Tuesday, but shifting winds and difficult terrain forced fire commanders to push the schedule back.
The focus by late Tuesday was on Hidden Valley, a steep-sided ravine where the fire can easily jump lines and start new spot fires.
"It's a mess in there. We've got to get a hard line, make it cold, and make sure it doesn't spot out of there," Mick Mueller, another spokesman, said. "It's going to take a lot of work to call that last 10 percent contained."
The fire has destroyed about 50 homes. Property damage is estimated at $8 million.
