A firefighter watches as a blaze approaches on Friday, June 18, 2014, in Malette, Wash. In mid-July, four lightning strikes started four fires in the Methow Valley. Within three days, the fires merged and turned into the largest wildfire in state history, burning more than 256,000 acres and costing the state $60 million to fight. Around 300 homes were destroyed, including most of the town of Pateros. Damage to livestock and agricultural land was devastating.
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