Emergency proclamation issued, National Guard activated for Washington wildfires
Jul 31, 2018, 4:08 PM
Crews organize to fight the Jolly Mountain Fire in September 2017. The Washington National Guard was activated to help fight the blaze. (Jolly Mountain Fire info)
(Jolly Mountain Fire info)
Washington Governor Jay Inslee has issued an emergency proclamation over the state’s growing wildfire dangers, activating the National Guard.
“Catastrophic fires are burning up and down the West Coast, putting a strain on our firefighting resources,” Inslee said. “This proclamation ensures resources are ready to go at a moment’s notice to help protect our communities from another unprecedented fire season.”
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Inslee’s proclamation states that since the start of July 2018, the state has experienced “abnormally dry conditions with periods of above average temperatures …” The result has been plenty of dry fuel for wildfires to burn. Weather projections indicate that conditions won’t likely get better anytime soon, possibly not until after September. Wildfires over the past couple of weeks have required additional response equipment, the governor’s office notes.
The proclamation covers all 39 counties in Washington and allows the state’s military forces to assist in firefighting efforts.
The last time Governor Inslee declared a state of emergency to fight the state’s wildfires was in September 2017, much later in the year. At the time, the Jolly Mountain fire was causing multiple evacuations in Eastern Washington.
Washington’s Department of Natural Resources is recommending that residents refrain from using recreational fires. It’s also reminding residents to never throw cigarette butts out their car windows — a common source of brush fires.
Authorities have already noticed a “categorical shift” in the state’s wildfire season. This year, three firefighting helicopters have been staged in the western part of the state — something that firefighting crews have never had to do before. But fires are getting worse. In fact, there were 661 fires that burned 17,366 acres of DNR land in 2017. So far in 2018, there have been 1,711 fires that have burned 109,000 acres of DNR land.
The issue has even prompted a University of Washington study to recommend that state residents prepare for smoke days, just as they would for snow days and power outages.
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