A US military helicopter hovers over a lake in the state of Washington - and with a quick dip, scoops up some water.<br/> <br />This scene played out much of Friday as officials pull out all the stops to combat wildfires sweeping across the northwestern state.<br/> <br />Blazes like this one have surrounded several towns, forcing residents to flee.<br/> <br />One fire, near the city of Cle Elum, has damaged 70 homes and scorched nearly 9,500 hectares of land along the Cascade Mountains.<br/> <br />Dozens of other wildfires are also burning across 10 drought-parched U.S. states in what is shaping up as one of the worst fire seasons of the last decade.
