As devastating wildfires continue burning thousands of acres across central and eastern Washington, fire danger has now been deemed "critically high" in King Co
As devastating wildfires continue burning thousands of acres across central and eastern Washington, fire danger has now been deemed "critically high" in King County.
The King County Fire Marshal issued a Stage 2 Burn Ban, which prohibits all outdoor fires, including recreational and ceremonial fires.
"The danger is real here right now, and a lot of the fires we see are human-caused," said Battalion Chief Seth Merritt, with Eastside Fire and Rescue.
Merritt also supervises the agency's Wildland Division, which includes a team of roughly 70 firefighters who specialize in wildfire response and deploy to different regions throughout the Northwest. 12 of Eastside Fire and Rescue's 260 crew members are currently deployed to some of the biggest wildfires in Washington and Oregon, Merritt said. Additional crew members will deploy later this week.
Still, the agency's main priority is staying prepared to fight similar wildfire scenes locally in western Washington.
"We're always just about a month behind where eastern Washington is, so if you look at the long-term forecast, western Washington is going to be in it for August and September, into October," Merritt explained.
Preparation for a busy wildfire season starts at the beginning of each year. All Eastside Fire and Rescue firefighters completed wildland training in the first three months of 2026, Merritt said.
The agency focuses on keeping its resources high locally, including a total of six brush trucks, while also balancing assisting other parts of the state.
On critical weather days, like a Red Flag day, Merritt said Eastside Fire and Rescue will increase its staffing.
Under current dry and hot conditions in King County, he warns of situations turning bad quickly.
"Whether it's going out and running your lawn mower, or any type of spark or ember, people just need to be very wary," Merritt said. "You're not just impacting you, you're impacting your neighbor, or you might be impacting a community that's ten miles down the road."
Should a wildfire spark locally, Merritt also explained that western Washington's dense forests typically make extinguishing wildfires much more difficult. Crews often have to use different techniques than what's successful in eastern Washington or other states.
"It's not just something you can go put a bulldozer on or aircraft dropping retardant," he continued, "It doesn't have the same effect because the canopy is so thick."
Under King County's current Stage 2 Burn Ban, any person who fails to immediately extinguish a recreational fire when ordered or notified to do so can be charged with a misdemeanor.
