ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Warmer temperatures and winds over Labor Day weekend will heighten fire danger, with a statewide burn ban already in place. The Washington Department of Natural Resources and Kittitas Valley Fire urged people Friday to heed laws and use caution, as most fires are human-caused.
Kittitas Valley Fire Chief John Sinclair said fire crews have been working two weeks at a time with short breaks, 14-16 hours a day, for months. What used to be a shorter fire season has now stretched on longer, with crews fighting fires as early as March and as late as November.
"Fire season used to be about 100 days long," Sinclair said. "Fire season is now 365 days long and that's the piece that we cannot ignore."
Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz pointed to Labor Day weekend 2020 as a tragic and difficult moment in history but it also serves as a warning of what can happen when human-caused fires grow massively in size due to weather conditions.
"Within 24 hours, we had 56 fires start, all human-caused," Franz said. "Within 72 hours because of the hot, dry landscape with very little moisture, with the number of fire starts initiated by humans and hurricane force winds, we had 600,000 acres burn in 72 hours."
Debris burns remain a top cause of fires. Officials say just a slight wind can pick up a fire and cause it to spread quickly. They emphasize that all fires—including campfires—are currently banned and ask people to travel and recreate safely.