Davis Raile

SOUTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON -- Rain is expected across much of Washington, the Blue Mountains and the Umatilla National Forest Wednesday, raising a key question about whether it would bring fire season to a close. The outlook offered some relief after a difficult summer in Washington and Oregon. In Washington alone, the Department of Natural Resources reported more than 880,000 acres had burned in summer wildfires. In Oregon, that total reached two million acres.

UMATILLA COUNTY, Ore — Fire crews are continuing to work on the Hagen fire as management teams change hands and containment remained limited. A Wednesday update stated the fires has reached a total size of 57,678 acres. The fire sparked back on July 16th when a passing lightning storm struck the Umatilla National Forest. There, multiple fires, including the Horse Ridge, Hagen and Paradise fires.

Richland, Wash. — The Richland Police Department introduced K-9 Cody as its new patrol dog and the agency’s first K-9 in more than 20 years. Cody is a 2-year-old Belgian Malinois, handpicked from the Netherlands. The department said he specializes in searches and non-lethal takedowns. Officer Matthew Smith handles Cody and says he's looking forward to the work he and Cody have ahead of them. “We'll do scent training, obedience training, searches and bite training," said Officer Smith.