Campfires are now prohibited on all state lands managed by the Washington Department of Natural Resources east of the Cascades.
DNR, which oversees the state’s wildfire prevention and firefighting efforts, initially imposed a campfire ban on July 13 in the agency’s Southeast Region. On Friday, the agency expanded the ban to its Northeast Region, which includes Ferry, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane and Stevens counties and the northern part of Lincoln County.
Propane/butane camp stoves and backpacking stoves are still allowed for people recreating throughout the Northeast region. The campfire ban now applies to 21 counties in eastern Washington.
Continued hot, dry weather has increased wildfire danger to “very high or extreme levels,” the agency said in a Friday news release. Over the weekend, there were moderate levels of lightning activity in eastern Washington and northeast Oregon with scattered precipitation and temperatures in the 80s and low 90s.
Currently, the largest wildland fire burning in the state is the Eagle Bluff Fire in northern Okanogan County near the Canadian border. It started July 29 and has scorched an estimated 16,428 acres of timber and brush and threatened 300 homes near Oroville. State fire officials reported that four minor structures were destroyed and the fire is 70% contained. The cause is undetermined.
Other newly reported fires include: Sunday’s Pendell Road fire about 5 miles north of Grand Coulee, burning an estimated 500 acres of grass and brush; the Sourdough Fire 6 miles east of Newhalem that was started by lightning on July 29 and has since burned nearly 1,400 acres of timber and threatened a mix of commercial and residential structures.
DNR says NOAA satellites have also recently detected one “hot spot” location in Ferry County along the Kettle River and two more in northeast Pend Oreille County near the Canada/Idaho borders. Those are being monitored for potential wildfire activity.
To date this year, DNR crews have responded to 662 fires in eastern Washington that have burned a total of 90,510 acres. DNR has also provided 454 fire responses in western Washington, but the collective size of those burns is far less at just 798 acres.
Statewide, 201 were caused by debris burns, 63 resulted from natural causes, 43 were caused by “celebration,” 307 remain undetermined in origin, and the remainder stemmed from other causes, according to the agency’s website. The majority occurred last month during July’s hot weather when 309 fires flared on 78,600 acres managed by DNR.
Officials advise anyone venturing onto local, state, or federal public lands to check in advance for any fire restrictions and other notifications. A number of eastern Washington counties impose restrictions on outdoor burning during summer months.
For more information, visit DNR’s website.
The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center also provides interagency coordination and logistics support for all state and federal agencies involving wildland fire management and suppression in Oregon and Washington.
