(The Center Square) – With the Fourth of July just days away, Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove urged caution on Wednesday after some 600 fires in Washington state have already started this season.
The Ellensburg press conference coincided with National Wildland Firefighter Day and the Week of Remembrance to honor those lost in the line of duty. Upthegrove said nine firefighters died in Washington state last year and sent prayers over the death of two others in Idaho last weekend.
Those firefighters responded to a fire on Sunday that resulted in a 20-year-old alleged gunman shooting at first responders from an elevated position. The suspect started the fire and killed two people before ultimately taking his own life. Upthegrove said first responders felt the loss nationwide.
“Apart from having a deranged madman open fire, wildland fire response is already challenging enough,” Upthegrove told reporters. “And this fire season, we’re facing some real challenges.”
In May, he warned that the state had cut fire prevention funding by $60 million to help address a $16 billion deficit, and said on Wednesday that layoffs at the federal level only add to that chaos.
Over 600 fires have already started in Washington this season, with 400 of those burning across state-owned land. Upthegrove said one of the best ways to honor a fallen firefighter is to reduce risk, especially ahead of Independence Day, as fireworks caused 270 fires statewide last year.
According to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, varying degrees of burn bans are in effect across most of the state. There’s a “high” danger of wildfires across almost all of the eastern and central portions of the state, and a large one is currently burning outside Entiat.
The Pomas Fire started on June 13 and has burned more than 1,700 acres of brush and logging debris. According to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, the wildfire is currently 0% contained, burning along the footprint of the 2015 Wolverine Fire that also occurred in the area.
Over 500 personnel were fighting the flames by Tuesday, with no threat to structures at the time.
“Fourth of July weekend is a fun time; let’s not make it a dangerous one,” Upthegrove said. “The bottom line is this: don’t be an idiot, don’t set the state on fire with your fireworks … We don’t want the legacy of this Fourth of July weekend to be setting the state of Washington on fire.”
