The call came at 3:30 a.m., a reverse 911 warning that jolted Jeff Nanamkin and Kari Barker awake. Flames from the network of fires plaguing eastern Washington were threatening their home in the tiny community of Disautel. It was time to evacuate, the recorded voice warned. They packed the car, grabbed the dog and were on the road by 4. But the Red Cross shelter in a town called Brewster turned them away — well, turned away Angel, the white Chihuahua with the big black eyes. So at 6 a.m. Friday, they found themselves here at the confluence of the Methow and Columbia rivers in Pateros, a smoky little city that knows more about fire than it ever wanted to. Last summer, 20% of this...
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