a number of emergency shelters were already in place. 63-year-old suzanne durant is ready to leave. the cabin where she lived alone for years since her husband died already enveloped in smoke and directly in the path of the fire. >> this whole thing is surrounded by sprinklers. that's what comes out of that tub. >> reporter: these are days of facing hard reality for kate baldwin, too. she and her late husband vance were building in these hills. he was a fireman. she says she'll keep working until she has to leave and hope this fire spares her home. >> the fire will go around us, if it needs to, over us, above us, around us. it will pass us. >> reporter: in an average year there are tens of thousands of western wildfires, but this has been a brutal season. 6.4 million acres destroyed when the ten-year average is around 5 million acres and it's still mid august. in the past days and weeks the taylor bridge fire in washington has consumed 23,000 acres and 70 homes. the human cost of fighting the fires is ever present. idaho lost 20-year-old firefighter anne veseth this week. she was ki

a number of emergency shelters were already in place. 63-year-old suzanne durant is ready to leave, the cabin where she lived alone for years since her husband died already enveloped in smoke and directly in the path of the fire. >> this whole thing is surrounded by sprinklers. that's what comes out of that tub. >> reporter: in an average year there are tens of thousands of western wildfires, but this has been a brutal season. 6.4 million acres destroyed when the ten-year average is around 5 million acre and it is still mid-august. in the past days and weeks, the taylor bridge fire in central washington has consumed 23,000 acres and some 70 homes. and the human cost of fighting these fires is ever present. idaho lost 20-year-old firefighter ann vesent last week, killed by a falling tree while trying to keep like stew suzanne durant from losing so much that matters. >> my husband's ashes are on top of the mountain. my two dogs are are buried behind the garage. this is very, very important to me. >> reporter: without fierce winds and they haven't been for the last couple of days, this has

she was killed by a falling tree on it while trying to keep people like suzanne durant from losing so much that matters. >> my husband's ashes are on the top of this mountain, my two dogs are buried behind the garage. i mean, this is re, very important to me. >> reporter: mike taibbi, nbc news. >>> let's get a check of our local weather with meteorolog t meteorologist. >> raj: rob. >> good news, moisture has moved on. we're going to continue to see temperatures today running a little cooler. outside right now low clouds around the bridge. sun starting to break out from the clouds now. we'll see a chance, perhaps, of sierra tlormsz. temperatures outside right now, in the low to mid-50s with fog. low clouds pushed inland to pleasanton this morning. i saw that on my drive into work. you'll find that and then we have a pretty good sea breeze. southwest winds at 20 through fairfield. so, that is actually some good news for air quality. stirs up the ground level pollution and prevents us from having a spare the air day on a day like today. if you suffer from allergies, elm pollen has crept

suzanne durant is freed leave, the cabin where she lives already enveloped in smoke.this whole thing is surrounded by sprinklers. >> kate baldwin and her late husband had been building their dream house in these hills. she says she'll keep work on it until she those leave and hopes the fire spares her home. >> the fire will go around this if it needs to. it will pass us. >> in an average year, there are tens of thousands of western wildfires but this has been a brutal season. 6.4 million acrers destroyed when the 10-year average is five million average and it's still mid august. in the past few weeks, the bridge fire in washington has consumed 70 homes. and the human cost of fighting these fires is ever present. idaho lost 20-year-old firefighter ann vessive earlier this week, killed by a falling tree while trying to keep people from losing so much that matters. my husband's ashes are on the top of this mountain. my two dogs are buried behind the garage. this is very important to me. >> still ahead on 11 news, fun do-it-yourself frockets -- projects to help kids and p