With the July 4th holiday just around the corner, fire officials in Washington are begging people to make good choices while out having fun.
They say more than 90% of wildfires are human-caused, often by fireworks or campfires.
Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) State Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove tells us Monday morning, there are roughly 10 wildfires burning across Washington.
“Over 50,000 acres have burned in the state already this season, and we are still in the month of June,” Upthegrove said.
The largest is the Hamilton Fire near Winthrop. At its peak on Sunday, more than 100 acres were on fire.
“The crews got a line around the fire overnight, and so today’s goals are to mop up around the fire perimeter and keep that community safe,” Upthegrove said.
DNR said they are worried the holiday weekend could bring even more trouble.
“We all know that one cousin who drinks too much and launches their bottle rockets where they shouldn’t, don’t be that cousin,” Upthegrove said. “Be smart with your fireworks if you are using them.”
Right now, burn bans are in effect for Snohomish, Pierce, and King Counties, but campfires are still permitted
“Make sure we leave 10 feet around them of blank space that’s not burnable. Keep a bucket of water and a shovel nearby. And most importantly, when you’re done with your campfire, make sure it’s out cold to the touch,” Upthegrove said.
Upthegrove tells us they are staffed and ready for any fires reported heading into the weekend
“We do pre-position wildfire assets all summer in high-risk areas. Our aviation equipment, our hand crews, our heavy equipment are spread throughout the state already in anticipation of potential risk.”
Those crews say if you see any sort of fire spark up, call 911 immediately so firefighters can get ahead of the situation.
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