Dry weather has firefighters on alert for brush fires

LAKEWOOD, Wash. — A brush fire burned Tuesday night behind Mountain View Cemetery in Lakewood.

The closest fire hydrant was out of service.  The hydrant is maintained by the cemetery, it takes a pump to make it work. Fire crews weren’t counting on it, but say it would have helped. They brought water in by the truck load.

A security guard at the cemetery has seen kids lighting  fires in the area before.  Investigators will work to find out how it started.

With all the hot and dry weather recently, firefighters are on high alert Tuesday for brush fires.

A burn ban went into effect in Snohomish County this week because of fire danger.

Things there are so dry that a simple spark from a campfire or chimney could ignite the dry grass and spread to nearby trees.

That’s what happened in Renton Monday, but firefighters were able put the flames out before they spread too far.

Another brush fire in Lacey Monday was more difficult for firefighters to contain.

It was burning near River Ridge High School after flames started in grass and raced through a field.

Firefighters were able to cut the fire off before it got to a nearby storage facility and motel.

The dry vegetation demonstrates what experts have said about how the weather in late spring and early summer has created a dangerous scenario.

The rain that fell in May spurred a spike in vegetation growth and since then, the vegetation has dried out.

The threat of wildfire is growing, and with a dry forecast for the foreseeable future, the danger is only going to increase.

KIRO