The risk of significant fires is expected to be above normal for all of Washington state in July, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center (NWCC).
Through June, the risk of significant fires was above-normal for sections of Central and Eastern Washington.
In July, August, and September, the risk is expected to be above normal for all of Washington state, according to NWCC.
From July through September, Western Washington is expected to see warmer-than-normal temperatures compared to previous summers.
The entire state of Washington is also expected to see below-average precipitation from July through September.
Conditions are already dry across Western Washington, which has seen six consecutive, dry days. There were five days of rain before this six-day stretch.
The danger of these conditions was apparent in Gig Harbor on Sunday, where a brush fire threatened homes along State Route 16.
“When I opened the door, the whole tree was in flames,” Joy Dewitz said on Monday. “It looked like it got a few feet from the house.”
Joy and her household were ordered to evacuate by local law enforcement, along with multiple residents on 38th Avenue and Hunt Street Northwest.
While her home was unharmed, her dog, Dexter, was badly injured after running out of the home during the evacuation.
Dexter, a Corgi-Heeler mix, has severe burns on his stomach and paws. His lungs were also damaged from the smoke. He’s currently in an oxygen kennel and recovering from his injuries.
There is a verified GoFundMe to help them and Dexter with medical expenses, as the household does not have pet insurance.
Residents and local business owners commended firefighters for knocking the flames out before they destroyed any homes.
Firefighters from Gig Harbor had assistance from personnel with West Pierce, Tacoma, Key Peninsula, and South Kitsap.
The fire also came a few blocks away from Spec German, an auto repair shop for Porsche and Mercedes Benz vehicles.
“I was pretty confident at that point,” Jason Edlin, the co-owner of Spec German, said on Monday after seeing more than two dozen units fight the flames. “If the fire made it to the building, (that means) it made it through a bunch of fire trucks as well.”
It’s still unclear what caused the fire, according to Gig Harbor Division Chief Tom Wescott.