WA Fire Season Nears End With Fewest Acres Burned In A Decade

OLYMPIA, WA — With fire season nearing its end in the Pacific Northwest this year, Washington has seen its fewest acres burned in a decade, according to state officials. In a news briefing marking the occasion Friday, state Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz credited an extended, rainy spring and new investments from Olympia in helping to achieve a moderate fire season.

According to DNR data, roughly 140,000 acres had burned across the state by the end of last week, compared to 842,000 acres in 2020 and 484,000 acres in 2020 — the state’s second and third-worst fire seasons.

“A combination of DNR equipment, aerial firefighting assets, personnel, partnerships with other agencies, as well as a wet and rainy spring that delayed the start of this year’s fire season contributed to our success,” Franz said. “House Bill 1168 provided DNR with new crews, increased fire suppression overhead and equipment, and a long-term commitment to making our state more resilient while simultaneously upgrading our effectiveness at preventing and suppressing wildland fire.”

The bipartisan HB 1168 passed both chambers of the statehouse unanimously last year, committing $500 million to bolster wildfire response and forest restoration efforts over the next decade, including recruiting dozens of new wildland firefighters.

While this season’s more moderate outcome is welcome news, there are still a number of fires burning in Washington, including the Bolt Creek Fire, which continues to bring haze and air quality issues to Western Washington. DNR crews are also working to contain the Nakia Creek Fire, which ignited Sunday in Clark County. The latter fire burned 250 acres and was 10 percent contained by Tuesday morning.

With no signs of meaningful rain in the forecast for the next week and beyond, building on an unusually dry autumn to date, some areas of Washington are seeing drought conditions worsen into mid-October.