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Okanogan Complex Fire Now 45 Percent Contained

Firefighters hose the edge of a controlled fire.
Elaine Thompson
/
AP
Firefighters hose the edge of a controlled fire along a driveway being used as a fire break between houses and the main fire Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015, in Okanogan, Wash.

Firefighters are starting to get a handle on two giant wildfires burning in northcentral Washington.

The largest wildfire in state history, the Okanogan Complex, has now grown to 231 square miles but as Wednesday morning it was 45 percent contained.

The Okanogan Complex is being managed as part of one big fire including the 146-square-mile Chelan Complex. The Chelan Complex was 55 percent contained as of Wednesday morning.

Nearly 2,000 firefighters are working on the two big fire complexes that have burned more than 140 residences. Many other residents are still under evacuation notices.

Fire officials say they are both building lines around the fires and mopping up inside their borders.