Wildfires erupting all across the west and mid-west as the drought continue to expand.

With 12 of 14 type 1 incident management teams assigned to incidents and firefighters  and resources being stretched the outlook does not look well for the next several weeks. Wildland agencies east of the Mississippi are stepping up to the call for assistance.

For the first time this summer, the Virginia Department of Forestry is sending fire-fighters to aid in the suppression of wildfires in the west.  Eight (4 full time and 4 part-time) employees will be part of an interagency 20 person crew that is heading to Idaho. The remainder of the crew will be comprised of USFWS and America corp. employees.  From the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. According to the National Interagency Fire Centre there are currently 63 large fires burning involving over 1,273,351 acres.  We are reminded all too often that it does not have to be a large fire to cause serious damage and even be deadly. A USFS fire-fighter was killed on a 48 acre wildfire in ID when a tree fell hitting her.

(CNN) -- Blistering hot temperatures will blast the normally tepid Pacific Northwest again Thursday as dozens of wildfires burn across large sections of the western United States.

The mercury is expected to soar near triple digits in Portland, Oregon, with Seattle forecast to reach the lower 90s, the National Weather Service said. The coastal region is roasting under an excessive heat warning.

At least 70 large fires were burning across 13 states west of the Mississippi River, according to the National Interagency Coordination Center. California had the most with 13, followed by Nevada with 12 and Idaho with 10, the center said.

The Marines joined the fight on Wednesday, with helicopter units from California joining U.S. Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard units from Colorado, Wyoming, North Carolina and California in fighting the fires by air. The Marine units will help fight fires around San Diego.

Wildfires raging in 13 Western states

In California alone, 8,000 firefighters were fighting a dozen fires, the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Wednesday. The state issued a burn ban, saying only some campfires are allowed.

Conditions could worsen in some places over the next few days. The National Weather Service said a weather pattern developing in parts of Oregon could produce conditions favorable to "explosive fire growth."

SAN FRANCISCO—Officials were concerned that thunderstorms and strong winds expected to hit Northern California early Thursday could make the work of firefighters more difficult as they scramble to shore up containment lines at several raging wildfires.

"That's the biggest question," fire spokeswoman Alissa Tanner said. "If the thunderstorms will just be rain and not gusts of winds that will be a real blessing. If not, then it could spread the fire in many different directions."

Among nearly a dozen major wildfires burning across the state, a 66-square-mile blaze in Plumas National Forest has proven problematic given the remote, rugged location. More than 900 homes were under threat, and authorities have urged residents to leave.

The National Weather Service expected isolated thunderstorms for the remote area, but only a 20 percent chance of precipitation. Crews re-established containment lines on Wednesday, but officials were concerned about the stormy forecast, Tanner said.

Some 8,000 firefighters were battling California's largest wildfires, said state fire spokesman Daniel Berlant. Fire officials issued a statewide burning ban Wednesday that will stay in effect pending a significant change in the weather or the end of fire season.

Elsewhere in Northern California, firefighters made significant progress against a wildfire in Lake County, despite dry weather and triple-digit temperatures. Hundreds of evacuees were allowed to return

home after the blaze burned more than 12 square miles and threatened nearly 500 homes in the Spring Valley community.

"We're definitely getting the upper hand on this fire," Berlant said.

In Southern California, wildfires threatened dozens of homes in the midst of a brutal heat wave.

In rural San Diego County, a group of five wildfires caused by lightning burned more than 24 square miles of wilderness, state fire Capt. Mike Mohler said. Evacuation orders covering about 180 homes and 400 residents were issued for the communities of Ranchita and Santa Fe.

The two largest fires were above the desert floor in an area subject to erratic winds. Forecasts called for a return of monsoonal moisture that could create thunderstorms with even more erratic winds Thursday, Mohler said.

Meanwhile, a 4 1/2-square-mile blaze in the foothills of Riverside County's San Jacinto Mountains threatened 47 homes, though officials lifted an evacuation order Wednesday. The fire near the community of Aguanga, east of Temecula, burned four structures, including at least one home.

A resident living in a trailer was seriously burned and a second resident received lesser injuries after the fire broke out Tuesday, authorities said. Two firefighters received minor injuries.

Elsewhere in Southern California, military helicopters dropped water on two fires that blackened more than 12,000 acres in the rugged Kern County mountains above the Mojave Desert about 80 miles north of Los Angeles. The fires forced the Bureau of Land Management to temporarily close about 20 miles of the popular Pacific Crest Trail, which runs through three western states between Canada and Mexico.

Berlant said officials were concerned that wildfire season began earlier than usual in the state.

"We have definitely seen an increase in fires this season in comparison to previous years," Berlant said. "Most of the damaging fires happen in September and October, not during the summer months."

He said the rest of the region also has been hit with fires relatively early in the season.

"We're starting to see the same level of activity that's been occurring in Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico," Berlant said. "We're just like the rest of the West; We continue to be hot and dry, just like them."

  

Fort Complex	Klamath National Forest	California, USA	3,657
Mistake Peak Fire	Tonto National Forest	Arizona, USA	4,800
Rush Fire	Northern California Resource Area	California, USA	101,000
Jawbone Complex	California Desert District	California, USA	12,462
Charley Fire	Tonto National Forest	Arizona, USA	2,300
Holloway	Winnemucca District	Nevada, USA	436,560
Ramsey	Stanislaus National Forest	California, USA	1,000
Chips	Plumas National Forest	California, USA	42,136
Halstead	Salmon - Challis National Forest	Idaho, USA	58,269
Trinity Ridge Fire	Boise National Forest	Idaho, USA	68,284
Mustang Complex	Salmon - Challis National Forest	Idaho, USA	85,537
Springs Fire	Boise National Forest	Idaho, USA	6,150
Butte Creek Fire	Bridger - Teton National Forest	Wyoming, USA	1,000
Faust	Salt Lake Field Office	Utah, USA	22,045
West Garceau	Flathead Agency	Montana, USA	8,800
Condon Mountain Fire	Flathead National Forest	Montana, USA	998

Daily statistics 8/15/12
Number of new large fires	20	States currently reporting large fires:
Number of active large fires (number includes full suppression and resource managed fires)	63	Arkansas (3) Arizona (6) California (13) Idaho (10) Montana (6) Nevada (10) New Mexico (1) Oklahoma (2) Oregon (2) Texas (6) Utah (2) Washington (1) Wyoming (1)
Acres from active fires	1,273,351
Fires contained since 8/14/12	6
Year-to-date large fires contained	585