Wildfire Risk Prompts State Of Emergency Declaration For Washington
Listen
The National Guard is gearing up to help fight wildfire in eastern Washington, and Governor Jay Inslee has declared a state-wide emergency.
According to a statement from Governor Inslee, catastrophic wildfires outside Washington state – in California and Oregon – have put a strain on available resources. The governor’s emergency declaration allows for the state Department of Natural Resources to call on the National Guard for help. They’re staging two Blackhawk helicopters out of Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane. Five 20-member hand crews have already been deployed in northeastern Washington
Jeff Cote, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Spokane, said current weather conditions are a “perfect storm” for increasing wildfire risk.
“Some lightning, without precipitation and then wind – all of those things just kind of mixed together and then drying out the fuels,” Cote said, “is kind of a perfect storm to bring us to extreme fire weather behavior or critical fire conditions,” he said.
There’s no significant rainfall in the forecast, although temperatures should fall from triple digit highs over the next week. According to the DNR, 96 percent of the state is experiencing drought conditions.
Copyright 2018 Northwest News Network
Related Stories:
Trash piling up, wildfires too big to fight: What wild lands might look like without workers
Mountain peaks are reflected in the waters of Lake Colchuk, located in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area. Smoke from a nearby wildfire hangs in the air. (Credit: Theresa Rivers) Listen
Final cohort of Idaho firefighters homebound after two weeks in California
Idaho Task Force Four poses for a photo near the ocean at the end of their two-week service in Los Angeles, California. (Courtesy: Billy Monahan) Listen (Runtime 1:03) Read The
Prescribed fires help manage forests in the Northwest
As wildfire season winds down, crews around Washington and Oregon perform prescribed fires.
