SEATTLE — This week’s hot, dry weather has fire departments on high alert.
A fast-moving brush fire in Lakewood this Sunday morning sparked a huge response.
It grew quickly before West Pierce Fire & Rescue could put it out. The fire happened in a cemetery but at least one building was threatened. The fire happened in the northwest corner of the cemetery. It is easy to see the area that the fire affected. Firefighters say they had to fight this fire aggressively to keep it from spreading.
“It was a fast-moving brush fire that was originally 50′ by 100,’” said West Pierce Fire’s Battalion Chief. “And it grew to 300′ by 300′ brush fire before we were able to contain it.”
Nic Britton says it wasn’t for lack of trying.
“Dry conditions, the weather, the temperatures,” said Britton. “You combine all of that and those fires grow extremely rapidly.”
Then Saturday night, a hillside caught fire on northbound I-5 near the 72nd Street Exit. A passenger who shot who got this video says they saw a vehicle on fire, too.
“Further south on I-5 there was another brush fire we passed,” said Erin Ward. “A smaller one but so the heat and dryness are definitely not good. Not good at all. We’re potentially going to see some more problems.”
Firefighters say they have seen wildland fire conditions worsen year after year here in Western Washington.
“We had a fire in the Jamestown Mobile Home complex last week which destroyed nine structures, two people lost their lives. And that has not happened in Western Washington very often let alone in the communities of Lakewood, University Place and Steilacoom. So, the size and intensities of these fires is drastically increasing,” said Battalion Chief Britton.
And these fires are affecting the air quality.
The air quality app shows the area is in the moderate category, down from good. So, these fires are affecting all of us. The Battalion chief says to protect your home, remove any vegetation that is nearby, mow your lawn, and water to keep the fire at bay.
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