Wildfire near Crystal Mountain doubled overnight and is still growing

A fire threatening the Crystal Mountain ski resort has more than doubled in size.

Officials were unable to get a clear picture of the scope of the fire for several days.

The Norse Peak blaze was said to be burning nearly 19,000 acres on Tuesday but an infrared flight showed that the burn was covering more than 43,000 acres Wednesday.

Michael Krueger is a spokesman for Norse Peak operations.

He said it’s likely the fire will continue to grow.

"Right now it's got everything it needs. It's got the fuel, it's got the temperature and it's been getting the air,” Krueger said.

"It's real dry out here. The relative humidity is low, in some areas into the single digits... it's dryer than what you would have as kiln dried wood."

Krueger also said resources are thin. About 340 firefighters are battling the Norse Peak fire and it’s about 8 percent contained.

Multiple communities in Pierce and Yakima counties have already been evacuated.

Meantime, other fires continue to burn across Washington where a state of emergency is in place.

Heavy smoke also continues to blanket much of the state.