By Phil Ferolito
The Yakima Herald-Republic
YAKIMA, Wash. — Fire season may have started a bit early this year as crews battled a rash of wind-driven blazes over the Memorial Day weekend. But whether the early fires foretell a long, hot season is hard to say, according to firefighters.
“Yeah, a pretty early wake-up call for us this fire season,” East Valley Fire Chief George Spencer said Tuesday of a May 28 fire that threatened six homes and several outbuildings in East Valley. “We usually don’t get fire calls like this early in the fire season. It could be interesting.”
While about 40 firefighters attacked the 200-acre fire, other crews extinguished three small brush fires that originated as small agricultural burns. Those fires were in White Swan, Grandview and Mabton.
The East Valley blaze started in dry brush and crept near homes on St. Hilaire Road. Residents in the area told firefighters that they noticed the fire after a vehicle, possibly a dump truck, passed through the area, Spencer said.
Yakima County Deputy Fire Marshal Don Linder said the fire appeared to be accidental, possibly caused by vehicle exhaust.
“There was no source of ignition around there, and there were several reports of a vehicle passing when it started, so that is the likely cause,” he said.
All the fires had something in common — dry brush and windy conditions.
“If we wouldn’t have had any wind (May 28), we probably wouldn’t have had any of those calls,” said Yakima County Fire District 5 Chief Brian Vogel.
Spencer anticipates this could be heavy year for fires. “If we have a typical Yakima summer where it’s dry and hot, we could have a significant fire year this year,” he said.
Naches Ranger District spokesman Doug Jenkins looks for a typical fire season, saying that while lower elevations are dry, higher elevations are still covered in snow.
“The potential is always there as we move into summer months,” Jenkins said. “But it’s not gong to be an extreme year.”
Long-range weather forecasts predict slightly cooler than normal temperatures through June, warming to slightly above average the rest of summer. Wenatchee-based meteorologist Jim Holcomb with Clear West, a private company that provides weather forecasting for agriculture, said rain is the deciding factor.
“So far, May has been fairly dry, but we don’t know what’s going to happen in June,” Holcomb said.
Either way, with dry brush in lower elevations creating ample fuel, fire officials are urging the public to use caution.
Spencer said homeowners in areas near wildlands should have a 30-foot fire break around their homes, usually a barrier of green vegetation. “These fires are typically wind driven in light fuels and they move fast,” he said.
Farmers preparing agricultural burns need to pay attention to weather reports to avoid burning in wind, Vogel said. He also urges a defensible space around the burn pile and means of extinguishing the fire on hand at all times.
“If they don’t have a good defensible space around their burn pile to begin with, then that puts neighbors at risk,” Vogel said. “A lot of times that’s what we find. Something happens and then they find out their hose is too short and they scramble around — they’re behind the 8-ball from the very start.”
Campers need to be sure to fully extinguish campfires and take care when driving in remote areas, Jenkins said.
“Our biggest concern is escaped campfires from people who are not putting them out,” he said. “Be extremely careful when pulling off into disbursed areas. (Vehicle exhaust systems) get really hot and can spark a fire really quick.”
Meanwhile, Spencer remains on high alert.
“Indications are that it could be bad this year, but it all depends on the weather,” he said.
Copyright 2012 ProQuest Information and Learning
All Rights Reserved
ProQuest SuperText
Copyright 2012 Yakima Herald Republic