TWISP, Wash. — Forage on thousands of acres of rangeland is gone, cattle are dead and orchards have been damaged by the Carlton Complex Fire that has also claimed 100 to 200 houses and other structures. As of July 22, 2,110 firefighters were battling the blaze, which was estimated at 250,000 acres, making it the largest fire in state history. Among the agricultural losses, about a dozen cattle ranchers with U.S. Forest Service grazing allotments appeared hardest hit since they won’t be able to graze those lands for a couple of years. They were still trying to determine the total number of cattle killed in the fire. Some apple, pear and cherry orchards were damaged, but mostly just their edges were singed as fire sought the path of least resistance and skirted green trees to find dry grass. The fire also destroyed a large part of Okanogan County’s electrical grid. With electricity knocked out, orchardists and ranchers were using small, gasoline generators to keep refrigerators and freezers running and acquiring larger generators to power irrigation pumps. The irrigation water is needed for orchard crops and trees, alfalfa and pastures. It may be a month or more before power is restored to some areas, said Dan Boettger, director of environmental and regulatory affairs for Okanogan County Public Utility District. “Our system has basically evaporated,” he said. “We have areas where the poles, wires and everything is gone. No trace of metal or anything.”...more
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