2017 Washington wildfires
| 2017 Washington wildfires | |
|---|---|
 Wildfires burning September 3, 2017 (satellite image). Visible in the Cascades, north to south: Diamond Creek Fire, Jolly Mountain Fire, Norse Peak Fire | |
| Date(s) | May–(ongoing) Statewide state of emergency: September 2, 2017[1] |
| Season | |
← 2016
2018 → | |
The 2017 Washington wildfires were a series of wildfires that burned over the course of 2017.
Timeline of events
Fire season officially began on April 15.[2] Training of state fire crews was conducted in May, as well as training of Washington National Guard in helitack insertion for fire crews.[3]
In early August, heavy smoke from British Columbia over Seattle earned the social media title "Smokezilla".[4] Mid-month, several large fires in the state's Cascades Range were ignited by lightning.[5]
On September 2, the Governor of Washington, Jay Inslee, declared a state of emergency across all Washington counties due to wildfires.[1][6]
On September 5, ash from the Central Washington fires fell "like snow" on Seattle and as far west as Grays Harbor County which borders the Pacific Ocean.[7][8][9] University of Washington meteorology professor Cliff Mass said the situation in Seattle with "a smoke cloud so dense one would think it is low stratus deck" was unprecedented in his 30 years of experience.[10] The Air Quality Index reached "hazardous" in Spokane, the worst of six levels; it had reached hazardous the day before in Newport, Washington, the worst in the country.[11]
List of fires
- Leavenworth Fire, May[12]
- Spartan Fire, June[13]
- Sutherland Canyon and Straight Hollow fires, near Quincy, June[13][13]
- Diamond Creek Fire in Pasayten Wilderness, started late July[14][15] and spread to Canada near Manning Provincial Park on August 31[16]
- Noisy Creek Fire, in Colville National Forest, began July 15[17]
- Monument Hill Fire caused partial evacuation of Quincy in August[18]
- "Smokezilla": smoke from 2017 British Columbia wildfires affected Seattle in August[4][19]
- Norse Peak Fire began in August, caused closure of Chinook Pass highway[20]
- Jolly Mountain Fire began on August 11, evacuations began August 31
- On September 5, the Eagle Creek Fire jumped the Columbia Gorge from Oregon into Skamania County.[21]
Resources
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2017) |
An infrared thermography-capable RC-26 surveillance aircraft and support crew from Washington Air National Guard were deployed to Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane on August 12 in support of firefighting.[22][23]
On August 29, the Washington Military Department's Emergency Operation Center at Camp Murray was activated in response to the Jolly Mountain Fire.[24]
On September 5, the U.S. Army said 200 Washington-based soldiers were to be trained and sent to the Umpqua North Complex fires in Oregon's Umpqua National Forest.[25][26]
See also
References
- ^ a b Tyrone Beason (September 2, 2017), "Wildfire risk prompts Inslee to declare statewide emergency", The Seattle Times
- ^ Kristian Foden-Vencil (April 14, 2017), It's Raining, But Wildfire Season Is Starting In Washington, Oregon Public Broadcasting
- ^ Ready for the 2017 Wildfire Season, Washington Department of Natural Resources
- ^ a b "Smoke from British Columbia fires shrouds Northwest with poor air quality, dubbed 'Smokezilla' by tweeters", Fox News, August 3, 2017
- ^ "Lightning sparks fires in Cascades; some trails closed", Yakima Herald-Republic, August 14, 2017
- ^ "Gov. Inslee declares state of emergency due to wildfires", Spokesman-Review, Spokane, September 3, 2017
- ^ Scott Sistek (September 5, 2017), Ash falls across Seattle area from fires burning in Central Washington, KOMO-TV
- ^ Evan Bush (September 5, 2017), "Ash falls like snow in Seattle as wildfires rage in Pacific Northwest", Alaska Dispatch News, Anchorage
- ^ John Hopperstad (September 5, 2017), Ash from wildfires falling in areas of Puget Sound, KCPQ-TV
- ^ Cliff Mass (September 5, 2017), "Ash is Falling in Seattle", Cliff Mass weather blog
- ^ Spokane air quality 'Hazardous' as smoke blankets region, KREM-TV, September 5, 2017
- ^ "Wildfire forces evacuations at Washington state tourism spot". Fox News. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
- ^ a b c Associated Press (June 27, 2017). "Fires in Central Washington Cover More Than 11 Square Miles". usnews.com. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ "Diamond Creek Fire". inciweb.nwcg.gov. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
- ^ "Firefighters getting a handle on wildfires in central Washington | The Spokesman-Review". spokesman.com. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
- ^ Jesse Ferreras (August 31, 2017), "Massive Washington state wildfire jumps into B.C. between Manning and Cathedral Parks", Global News Morning, British Columbia, Canada
- ^ "Noisy Creek Fire near Sullivan Lake grows to about 1,700 acres; no structures threatened", Spokesman-Review, August 1, 2017
- ^ "500-acre wildfire in Grant County forces mandatory evacuations, knocks out power to Quincy | Q13 FOX News". q13fox.com. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
- ^ Blinder, Alan; Caron, Christina (August 3, 2017), "Seattle Chokes as Wildfire Smoke From Canada Blankets the Northwest", The New York Times
- ^ "SR 410 remains closed as crews work Norse Peak fire | Local". yakimaherald.com. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
- ^ Eagle Creek fire jumps gorge into Washington, Seattle: KING-TV, September 5, 2017
- ^ National situation report (PDF), National Interagency Coordination Center, September 5, 2017
- ^ Bill Gabbert (August 16, 2017), Air Force reconnaissance aircraft is being used to detect and map wildfires in the Northwest, Fireaviation.org
- ^ Kittitas County Emergency Operations Center activated for Jolly Mountain Fire, Yakima: KAPP-TV, August 29, 2017
- ^ Ash and smoke prompt health warnings, shut down sporting events, expand burn ban, Associated Press, September 5, 2017 – via The Olympian
- ^ 200 active duty troops from Joint Base Lewis-McChord to deploy to Umpqua North Complex, KVAL-TV, September 5, 2017
External links
- Northwest Interagency Coordination Center (NWCC) for Oregon and Washington
- Wildfire resources, Washington Department of Natural Resources
- Season timeline, Central Washington University (Ellensburg)
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