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Information on public fire danger signs comes from the Nation Fire Danger Rating System, which is being updated for the first time in more than four decades. CREDIT: JACOB FRANK/NPS

Northwest Fire Season Forecast: A Significant One, As Study Says People Should Prepare Long-Term

As the climate warms, fire seasons will get worse – that’s especially true for low-elevation ponderosa pine forests east of the Cascades. According to a University of Washington study published in the journal Fire Ecology, wildfires there will be larger and more frequent.

The Saddle Mountain Fire began the afternoon of July 6, 2020, burning in a sensitive area of central Washington at a wildlife refuge, part of the Hanford Reach National Monument. Courtesy of SE WA Interagency Incident Management Team

Saddle Mountain Fire Is Test For COVID Plans, And In A Sensitive Wildlife Area

Firefighters are wrapping up after three days at this season’s first big wildfire in eastern Washington. As crews began heading home, the Saddle Mountain Fire had burned about 10,000 as of Wednesday, July 8, in steep terrain on part of the Saddle Mountain Wildlife Refuge.

The Anglin Fire burning east of Tonasket, Washington, July 28, 2020 in a mix of sagebrush, grasses, and light timber. Courtesy of Okanogan County Emergency Management/video

Fire Conditions Heat Up, State Burn Ban In Effect As Anglin Fire Near Tonasket Forces Evacuations

In response to growing fire potential and high temperatures nearing and surpassing 100 degrees, on Tuesday state public lands commissioner Hillary Franz issued a statewide burn ban The order took effect July 28 and lasts through September 30, unless fire conditions improve.

A member of a Washington Department of Corrections fire crew assisting on a previous controlled burn. Courtesy of Washington DOC

With Fire Season In Full Swing, Corrections Crews Adapt To Pandemic Safety Measures

As wildfire season heats up, Washington fire managers are working out new ways for incarcerated people to help on the fire lines and stay safe during the coronavirus pandemic. Correctional crews have helped put out fires and work in fire camp kitchens for decades. And things are a little different this year.

The smoke of the Taylor Creek Fire still plumes behind the Joint Information Center, just outside of Grants Pass, OR. CREDIT: USFS/DARREN STEBBINS

Breathing Wildfire Smoke Every Summer Could Have Long-Term Health Consequences

Air quality east of the Cascade Mountains has deteriorated as wildfires burn across Washington and Oregon. In Southern Oregon, the air is hazardous. In Central Washington, air quality is unhealthy for everyone.

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When Will The Smoke Clear Out Of Northwest Skies? Not As Soon As We’d Like

The weather didn’t pan out as forecasters had hoped. That means smoke should stick around until the end of this week. And, it’s not only the skies that are choked with the unhealthy levels of smoke.

The Inchelium Complex, comprised of three smaller fires, is burning in timber and grasslands on the eastern side of the reservation of the Colville Confederated Tribes, shown here on Sept. 12, 2020. CREDIT: InciWeb

UPDATES: Crews Make Good Progress In Eastern Washington Fires; Hundreds Of Homes Burned

Labor Day 2020 lived up to its name if you’re a firefighter. It was a day that set up for numerous fires in central and eastern Washington that have burned tens of thousands of acres, and possibly many more. At least 80 fires started in Washington in what officials call a historic fire event.

Lucas Galloway, from left, Jaebyn Drake, Rhett Schieder and Audrey Wilcox pose for a selfie with Baby Yoda on Sept. 20, 2020, while fighting the Holiday Farm Fire in Blue River, Oregon. In early September, a 5-year-old Oregon boy named Carver and his grandmother delivered a toy version of “The Mandalorian” character to a donation center for firefighters. Courtesy of Audrey Wilcox via AP

Thankful, They Are: Western Firefighters Get Baby Yoda Morale Boost From Oregon Boy's Gift

A Facebook page called “Baby Yoda fights fires” has been documenting his journey and spreading joy far beyond the fire lines. More than 30,000 people and counting are following the page as he travels from crew to crew.

It’s Very Hot, It’s Tinder Dry, And Wildfire Conditions Are ‘Unusually Risky’ At This Point In The Summer

The Northwest is primed for fire season, and not in a good way. East of the Cascades, forecasters say this year could be worse than recent record-breaking fire seasons.

The National Weather Service is warning of high fire danger this week with thunderstorms, lightning and wind expected late Tuesday night into Wednesday, July 7. CREDIT: NWS via Twitter

High Inland Fire Danger Tuesday Night And Wednesday With Possible Lightning And Wind

The National Weather Serivce is warning of extreme fire danger Tuesday night and Wednesday. Lightning storms, dry conditions and winds are expected to combine Tuesday evening and Wednesday, priming Eastern Washington and North Idaho for wildfires.

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