Heavy rains could lead to big, late wildfires in Eastern Washington

Don’t let record rainfall fool you.

The damp conditions won’t prevent wildfires this season. In fact, they’ll likely lead to a later-than-normal fire season, with more fuel to burn, state officials predict.

State Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz and Gov. Jay Inslee offered their insights to the upcoming fire season early Wednesday as they took a “pack test,” a requirement for people who visit wildfires in Washington state. The governor and the commissioner take the test every year.

Requirements of the test include walking a mile in 15 minutes, then deploying a fire shelter in 30 seconds.

The fire shelters are made of a silver foil material — similar to the compact blankets found in emergency kits.

Temperatures outside fire shelters can reach about 1,000 degrees, and the tent-like structures are designed to protect airways, said Tammi Ellerbroek, fire training manager for the state Department of Natural resources.

But, conditions early Wednesday were far from blistering. It was 48 degrees and raining in Olympia when Inslee and Franz took their test.

They laughed and joked after climbing from under their shelters. Franz said she thinks of flying squirrels while deploying the shelter.

The hills of Eastern Washington are covered with lush, green vegetation, Inslee said, but by August, September and October, the grass and trees will be dry and brittle.

“Green grass in May means big fires in August and September,” Inslee said.

Franz said the past three years have been tough when it comes to wildfires.

The state spent $500 million fighting the fires.

She said spending more money up front and maintaining forests will cut that figure significantly.

About 2.7 million acres of forest — owned by the state and federal governments — is in poor health, Franz said. This year, the legislature allocated $10 million to $15 million to maintain that land.

While it won’t help with this year’s wildfires, the maintenance should help in the future, she said.

This story was originally published April 26, 2017 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Heavy rains could lead to big, late wildfires in Eastern Washington."