Washington's wildfire season ramps up
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photo: Bob Riha Jr./Getty Images
Fires have closed or threatened parts of the Pacific Crest Trail, Highway 20, campgrounds and hiking trails just as Seattleites head out for some of the region's peak outdoor recreation weather.
Why it matters: Studies show human-caused climate change has increased extreme wildfire events over the past two decades, especially in the West, as temperatures warm and vegetation dries out faster.
- Globally, the six worst wildfire seasons occurred during the past seven years, a study published last month found.
Threat level: The Pacific Northwest is currently in "Preparedness Level 5," meaning it is a priority for firefighting personnel and equipment, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center (NICC).
- Level 3 "Go Now" evacuations were ordered yesterday for the Black Canyon Fire in Yakima County and residents near the Pioneer Fire on the northeast side of Lake Chelan are being prepared for the possibility of an emergency evacuation by ferry.
- Of the nearly 22,000 firefighters and support personnel working fires across the nation, over a third (7,500) are fighting fires in Oregon and Washington, Carol Connolly, an NICC spokesperson, told Axios.
Catch up quick: Oregon has borne the brunt of lightning-caused fires so far this year, according to Department of Natural Resources spokesperson Thomas Kyle-Milward, but he said Washington now has eight fires that had burned more than 71,000 acres by midday Tuesday.
What they're saying: "As quiet as Washington has been up to now, this is mother nature catching us up to speed," Kyle-Milward told Axios.
The big picture: In what's become an almost typical summer feature here, smoke from fires in Canada to California threaten to bring hazardous air quality to the Puget Sound area.
- Several hundred fires have been burning in British Columbia, according to the BC Wildfire Service.
- When, or if, smoke from the current fires will affect us depends on the wind, which is largely unpredictable.
What we're watching: Historically, the threat of wildfires in Western Washington has been low, but that's changing, with more fires west of the Cascade Mountains now than in the past, Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz told Axios last year.
- The 2022 Bolt Creek Fire on the edge of King County prompted emergency evacuations, blanketed the region with smoke for more than a month and caused Seattle at times to register some of the worst air quality in the world.
What's next: Dry lightning and wind warnings are forecast for parts of the Pacific Northwest on Wednesday and Thursday, meaning more fires could erupt and existing fires could grow larger fires, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that it was for a month that the region was blanketed with smoke, and that it was at times (not for months) recorded as having the the worst air quality in the world.