'It just shot up so fast'; Fires continue to blaze across West

CLE ELUM, Wash. (AP) — As firefighters across the West responded to blazes, efforts in Washington state were made especially difficult Tuesday as wind gusts pushed fast-moving flames through a small town, destroying dozens of houses.

The fire in central Washington has burned about 70 homes, scorching along roughly 40 square miles of grassland, timber and sagebrush, authorities said.