While the colors of autumn are starting to pop up in western Washington, dry vegetation is still an issue.
Cooler temperatures and beneficial rain have helped firefighters battling about a dozen large wildfires across the state, but fire officials say it still is not enough to put the flames out.
Ryan Rodruck with the state Department of Natural Resources said this has been a difficult wildland firefighting season. “We’ve seen over 900,000 acres burned statewide, and we’ll continue to have fires on the landscape,” Rodruck said.
While the colors of autumn are starting to pop up in western Washington, dry vegetation is still an issue. Pierce County Fire Marshal Ken Rice said recent precipitation helps, but new and lingering fuels remain on the ground.
“It’s getting cooler," Rice said. "We’re getting precipitation. But as leaves fall, they’re dead, so we still have another fuel load. We still have dead grass. We have a lot of dead vegetation, and it doesn’t take a lot to get that ignited and start moving.”
Fire officials said they are still waiting for a season-ending rain event that is widespread enough to soak the region’s rugged terrain. Rodruck said access remains a challenge on some of the largest incidents.
“A lot of those issues have to do with the terrain. Those fires are in pretty steep terrain and are difficult to access. Firefighters will continue to work toward containment on those fires as we progress through the rest of the season,” he said. Rodruck added, “We certainly will have fires that will continue through the fall, potentially into October or longer.”
The state's two biggest wildfires have burned more than 330,000 acres combined. The Little Giant Fire in Chelan County has consumed more than 172,000 acres and is 81% contained, as of Aug. 15. According to the DNR, there have been more than 1,500 wildfires this year.
In Pierce County, the fire marshal lowered burn ban restrictions from Stage 2 to Stage 1 for unincorporated areas. Under Stage 1, small recreational fires are allowed in fire pits, and barbecues using gas, wood or charcoal are allowed.
A statewide burn ban on large outdoor or agricultural burning remains in effect until Sept. 30.
