State Of Emergency Declared In Washington Over Wildfires

SEATTLE, WA - On Tuesday night, residents of Puget Sound noticed a familiar smell in the air: fire. Smoke from a fire burning on Harstine Island blanketed the region from Gig Harbor to Seattle.

There have been close to 1,000 wildfires or brush fires in Washington so far this season. On Tuesday, Gov. Jay Inslee declared a statewide state of emergency to deal with the fires. The declaration will allow the National Guard to help if the fire situation gets any worse.

"Dangerous fire fuel and weather conditions exist throughout the state. The proclamation allows for assistance from the Washington National Guard, which routinely trains and certifies soldiers and airmen to fight wildfires. Already, the Department of Natural Resources has requested from the Washington National Guard the use of aviation assets, as well as 20-person hand crews to be deployed to Eastern Washington," the governor's office said in a statement Tuesday.

Washington needs the National Guard because the large Carr Fire in California (and other fires across the West) is sucking up firefighting resources.

The Milepost 90 Fire burning along the Columbia River is the latest large fire in the state. The fire is burning across 5,000 acres and only started on Tuesday.

At last check, the Harstine Island fire was under control and only burning across about 15 acres, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. And there is some good news: Western Washington will likely get some rain in the coming days through Saturday.

Image courtesy WSDOT