As fires rage in the Pacific Northwest, leaders call all hands on deck

With dozens of large fires burning across the Pacific Northwest, and nearly 2 million acres burned already, state leaders are calling for firefighting reinforcements and bracing for a grueling August. 

“We’re going to have a long year ahead,” said Washington state forester George Geissler. “I keep getting depressed every time I listen to the meteorologists. There’s really not any relief we can see.” 

Across Washington and Oregon, wildland fire crews are battling 45 large fires that have burned more than 1.8 million acres so far, an area larger than the state of Delaware. Roughly 2.6 million acres have burned nationwide this year. 

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In Oregon, Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek issued an executive order in June making all wildfire qualified staffers at various state agencies available to fight fires. State forester Kacey KC said teams from 35 different states are currently fighting fires in the Northwest, and Oregon is No. 1 on the national priority list as new resources become available. 

“It’s not an award you want to win,” KC said. “It’s all hands on deck everywhere. We’ve seen some very aggressive fire runs this year.”

In Washington, Geissler has issued a more targeted call for reinforcements. His “ready reserve” message, sent Tuesday, called for employees with qualifications to serve as strike team leaders, task force leaders, division supervisors, aviation positions, engine bosses, heavy equipment bosses and dispatch positions. 

“We are in a bad fire year,” Geissler said, speaking Wednesday. “We are at a straining point. We’re in the third or fourth week of August (in terms of fire activity), and it’s not even August yet. We are out of the gate earlier than we have been in years and years and years.”

Geissler said he had just finalized a plan to deploy 100 National Guard troops to help fight fires in Washington. 

Idaho Gov. Brad Little, a Republican, signed a wildfire disaster emergency Tuesday and ordered the Idaho National Guard to help fight a fire along the border of Oregon and Idaho, the Idaho Capital Sun reported. 

And crews from Utah have deployed to help fight fires in Oregon. 

Across the West, record heat and drought this winter left mountains bare of snow, forests parched and rivers dwindling. Leaders have been preparing for a brutal fire season, one that has now arrived in the Northwest. Washington state has brought in crews from the South, Southwest and California, Geissler said, along with teams from Australia and New Zealand.

Unlike in previous years, Canada has been unable to send help since massive wildfires there have commanded all available resources. 

While other U.S. regions have seen less fire activity so far, experts say there’s a long way to go. 

“It’s pretty dry,” said Riva Duncan, a former wildland fire chief who served more than 30 years with the U.S. Forest Service. “One lightning (storm) would put the northern Rockies into play, and that’s gonna be more competition for resources.” 

Duncan serves as president of Grassroots Wildland Firefighters, a nonprofit that advocates on behalf of wildfire professionals.

While the current situation in Washington is intense, Geissler said, the state Department of Natural Resources is playing the long game and planning out work and rest cycles for crews in the field. 

“You don’t want to burn everybody out all at one time,” he said. 

Stateline reporter Alex Brown can be reached at [email protected].