West will sizzle in heatwave for next several days

Temperatures in the mid-80s forecast for the Puget Sound region today are warm — some might even say hot — for us.

Not so much, though, for:

• Spokane, where 101 is forecast.

• Tri-Cities, 108.

• Yakima, 103.

Not to mention:

• Pendleton, Ore., 106.

• Fresno, Calif., 110.

• Phoenix and Las Vegas, 116.

• Palm Springs, 117.

And it was 126 yesterday in Death Valley (but, then, they don't call it that for no reason).

The West will continue to baste in hot weather for the next several days, though in the Puget Sound area things are expected to cool down slightly after today into the mid to high 70s.

In California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered the opening of state cooling centers in 13 counties, and the operator of the statewide power grid ask Californians to try to conserve energy to avoid brownouts.

Forecasters expected near-record highs in San Diego and Riverside counties, where the mercury could reach triple-digits in some inland areas.

The high temperatures, combined with an extremely dry winter, also worried wildfire crews across the West.

Three firefighters suffered heat exhaustion while battling a 700-acre wildfire that broke out Wednesday northwest of Santa Barbara, said Santa Barbara County Fire Capt. Craig Vanderzwaag.

Moisture levels in some of the largest logs east of the Cascade Range have dropped to what typically is seen in the hottest days of August, U.S. Forest Service officials said.

"We're headed toward a long, hard fire season, the way it looks. The public needs to be prepared for it," said Steve Rawlings, fire management officer for the Colville National Forest in Washington. "We've slid into fire season without people making a big issue about it."