Oregon fire grows large enough to create its own weather as firefighters scramble to battle Western blazes

Firefighters in the West are scrambling as wildfires threaten communities in Oregon, California and Washington, with Oregon's Durkee fire so large that it is creating its own weather. Twenty-four major fires were burning across Oregon under record-breaking dry conditions as the state entered its 76th day without rain Wednesday morning.

Amid the early and intense start to the fire season in the West, U.S. Forest Service spokesperson Holly Krake warned of "another monster of a fire year" in the Pacific Northwest.

"The forest and grasslands behind me are tinder dry, and when you add 2,000 lightning strikes in 48 hours, that's bound to cause really hot, intense and fast-moving wildfires," Krake told CBS News.