Not just an Eastern WA issue; King County prepares for wildfires

For a long time, people on the west side of the Cascades assumed that wildland fires were an issue for those in Eastern Washington. But as conditions become drier and hotter across the western U.S., the wildfire threat is growing in all parts of the state, even the normally soggy parts.

The Bolt Creek Fire started on Sept. 10 near Skykomish. Nearby residents were evacuated, Highway 2 was closed for weeks, and an estimated 13,000 acres of forest have burned in that fire.

"I was definitely thinking about major things like road closures, how it's going to impact commuters," said Duvall Mayor Amy Ockerlander. "Thinking about the fact that it's only 20 miles as the crow flies away from Duvall in that earlier in the season, those types of wildfires can really take off pretty quickly and spread significant distances."

Duvall is in northeast King County and completely surrounded by unincorporated county land. If a wildland fire does occur, responding to that fire would be complicated. The city needs to coordinate with their local fire district, King County, and possibly the state. Wildland fires include prescribed fires and wildfires that burn vegetation and natural fuels.

The risk of fire feels very real to Ockerlander.

"We are vulnerable. We're surrounded by forest land and rural area," she said. "And we're at the base of the foothills, which puts us at a unique risk for that wild land urban interface fire."

Ockerlander also has a background in emergency management. In this year’s budget, she’s proposing an emergency manager position who can run outreach to the community and provide materials to teach people about risks like wildfires.

Trying to get people in Western Washington to prepare for a fire can be tough. For a long time, people on the west side of the Cascades assumed that wildland fires were an issue for those in Eastern Washington – west siders just needed to prepare for the smoke.

But it’s becoming increasingly clear that this isn’t the case. This summer, King County released its first every Wildfire Risk Reduction Strategy report.

The report consists of 12 recommendations for how the county can prepare for, respond to, and recover from a wildfire.

"I think that that awareness is increasing," said Lara Whitely Binder, co-author of the report and King County's climate preparedness manager. "That said, I do think that there's still a long ways to go to help westside communities really understand what the potential is for wildfire in our region."

Lara Whitely Binder spoke with Soundside about what is in King County's plan and the implications of even a small fire in the county.