northwest wildfire Archives | Northwest Public Broadcasting

Washington Lands Agency Seeks Big Funding Bill To Combat Increasingly Bigger Fire Seasons

By Courtney Flatt January 12, 2021

Washington Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz, walking here with former Malden Mayor Chris Ferrell, is working with legislators to find more money for wildfire suppression and prevention. CREDIT: Doug Nadvornick/SPR

This marks the second year the state Department of Natural Resources has pushed for legislation to expand Washington’s firefighting efforts. This time DNR is seeking $125 million every two years, during a legislative session complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Read More

‘The Thing I Dread The Most Is Not Knowing’: At Least 24 Dead In West Coast Wildfires

By NPR News September 12, 2020

A couple embrace Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020, while touring an area devastated by the Almeda Fire in Phoenix, Ore. John Locher/AP

One hundred large fires are burning in 12 states across the West — but just five of them have been contained, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Continue Reading ‘The Thing I Dread The Most Is Not Read More

At Least 14 People Killed In Washington-Oregon-California Fires

By NPR News September 10, 2020

Vehicles were destroyed by a wildfire in Malden, Wash., on Monday, Sept. 7, 2020. Large parts of the West Coast are under warnings for elevated fire weather threats Thursday, but there may be relief if fire-driving winds decrease as expected. CREDIT: Jed Conklin/AP

At least seven people have died in wildfires that are raging in Washington, Oregon and California, adding to the horrible toll from record-setting fires in 2020. "This could be the greatest loss of human lives and property due to wildfires in our state's history," Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said. Read More

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

By Courtney Flatt April 8, 2020

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

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. Read More

Northwest Wildfire Season Is Coming Up — With Fewer Firefighters Trained Due To Coronavirus

By Courtney Flatt March 27, 2020

File photo of a firefighter using a driptorch to apply fire during a prescribed burn. CREDIT: SWANSON SCOTT

Each year, state, federal and local officials train around 1,000 firefighters. Trainings start in April and last through May. Now, that's all on hold. Continue Reading Northwest Wildfire Season Is Coming Up — With Fewer Read More

Northwest Fire Danger Increases Early In Season As Temperatures Rise Above Normal

By Doug Nadvornick May 11, 2019

Washington state lands officials are warning people working and playing outdoors to be mindful of higher wildfire danger. They've elevated the wildfire danger status in most of eastern and central Washington from low to moderate. Read More

‘Good Fire’ Season: How Land Managers Select Areas For Prescribed Burns

By Courtney Flatt April 15, 2019

A member of the Wolf Creek Hotshots uses a drip torch to ignite the forest floor during a prescribed burn near Sisters, Oregon. CREDIT: JES BURNS

Land managers are using prescribed burns -- also called "good fire" -- and thinning to restore forests and reduce the extra wood, sticks and needles that fuel megafires. Different land managers look for certain things when they’re selecting where prescribed fires will work best. Read More

Shutdown Hampers Wildfire Preparedness And Training In The West And Across The Country

By NPR News January 12, 2019

Firefighters and forest managers are losing valuable time to prepare for the upcoming wildland fire season as the partial government shutdown continues. Continue Reading Shutdown Hampers Wildfire Preparedness And Training Read More

Fighting Wildfire Is Risky. But It’s Become Riskier Than It Needs To Be

By Tony Schick September 11, 2018

A line of wildland firefighters marches through the woods during the Yellowstone fires of 1988. The massive complex of fires, which burned more than 790,000 acres, was a transformative moment in the country's view of wildfire. CREDIT: NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

Federal and state agencies have come to realize fires should not be fought at all costs and, in fact, many should not be fought at all. Excluding natural fire led to forests burning in bigger, more destructive ways. Each year, hazardous fuels accumulate faster than we can reduce them through selective logging and burning. Read More

Will More Logging Save Western Forests From Wildfires?

By NPR News August 29, 2018

The 2018 Carr Fire destroyed more than a thousand homes, largely on the western edge of Redding, Calif. CREDIT: KIRK SIEGLER/NPR

The Trump Administration has called for more logging of western forests to reduce wildfire risks. But people on the ground in the west say the solution is thinning and forest restoration, not logging. Continue Reading Will More Logging Save Western Read More

As Wildfire Seasons Worsen, Scientists Point To Summer Precipitation As Major Driving Factor

By Emily Schwing August 20, 2018

Washington fire managers responded to nearly 70 new fire starts August 11, 2018, including the Grass Valley Fire that threatened the Grand Coulee Dam area and forced hundreds of evacuations. CREDIT: INCIWEB

Wildfire activity in the American West is likely to get worse in coming years. A new study out in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences points to the lack of precipitation in the summer as the major driving factor when it comes to increasing fire severity. Read More

Firefighting Airplane Crashes In Washington’s Colville National Forest, ‘But The Pilot’s OK’

By Emily Schwing August 14, 2018

The Air Tractor 802, known as an Air Boss, went down Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2018 while on the Horns Mountain Fire in northeastern Washington. CREDIT: INCIWEB

On Tuesday, Aug. 14, a water-scooping airplane crashed while working the Horns Mountain Fire in northeastern Washington. The pilot walked away with minor injuries. Continue Reading Firefighting Airplane Crashes In Read More

Forest Service Chief Talks Need For New Fire Management, Fuel Treatments

By Tony Schick July 31, 2018

The West is in the midst of another intense fire season. Fires in California and Oregon have claimed lives and homes and burned up farmland. As part of EarthFix’s ongoing series on wildfire, reporter Tony Schick spoke with interim Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen about what her agency is doing to reform fire management and reverse the fire problem. Read More

‘It’s Just A Tinderbox Out Here’: North Central Oregon Fire Near The Dalles Grows Fast

By Ericka Cruz Guevarra July 18, 2018

A grass fire near The Dalles, Oregon, forced evacuations of area residents. CREDIT: WASCO COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE

A fast-growing wildfire east of The Dalles, Oregon, that forced evacuations Tuesday, July 17 and the following day is expected to make a push to the south and east due to dangerous fire conditions in the area, fire officials said. Read More

In The Fire-Prone West, Differing Views Of What Forest Health Really Means

By Liam Moriarty February 4, 2018

A view of the Bridge 99 Complex fire along Green Ridge near the Lookout and east of Camp Sherman and the Metolius River. CREDIT STEVE ZIEL / INCIWEB

The intense fire season of 2017 led to calls for more "treatment" of federal forests to remove excess fuel that can make for bigger, hotter wildfires. But while there's broad bipartisan agreement that more needs to be done to promote forest health, the opposing sides can have very different pictures of what that looks like on the ground. Read More

Study Estimates Wildfire Smoke Contributes To Tens Of Thousands Of Deaths

By Anna Boiko-Weyrauch December 29, 2017

A new study estimates smoke from wildfires contributes to 25,000 deaths per year around the world. CREDIT: INCIWEB Listen The wildfires that burned through the Northwest this past summer caused hazy skies throughout Washington and Oregon. Air pollution from tiny particles released by fire is a known health hazard. New research from Colorado State… Read More

Tribes Worry Over Lower Columbia Gorge Coho Runs With Forest Fires

By Anna King September 6, 2017

Scene from the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire in Columbia River Gorge

The Eagle Creek fire is burning in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area near Cascade Locks, Oregon. INCIWEB Listen The forest fires raging in the Columbia River Gorge are unlikely to disturb adult coho salmon right now. But Northwest tribal fishers are worried about what will happen in the fall. Tribes are particularly… Read More

Private Fire Companies Help Fight PNW Fires

By Courtney Flatt August 29, 2016

Bill Duguay (left) and Johnnie Duguay work on a fire together. All firefighters have personal protective equipment they bring with them. Johnnie’s favorite part of fire fighting is “mopping up,” checking for hot spots in burned-out areas of a fire. CREDIT: JENNIFER DUGUAY

Private companies are essential in fighting the mega-wildfires that yearly burn through the backcountry and encroach on towns. One fire company in the Methow Valley is a family affair. Continue Reading Private Fire Companies Help Fight PNW FiresRead More