Heat Wave Baking, Burning and Drying Out Almost Two-Thirds of Western US cbn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cbn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Growth in western Washington wildfires a worrying trend amid stressed forests
Washington wildfires are starting earlier in the year and with higher frequency. State officials hope to help forests regain their health before it s too late. Author: Glenn Farley Updated: 7:09 PM PDT July 14, 2021
Washington’s wildfire season is like waiting for a bomb to go off.
Typically, the most dangerous months of the season – August and September – arrive after California, Oregon and most other western states had been burning for months. Now two shifts are happening: more Washington fires are starting earlier in the summer, and the number of fires is going up in western Washington, which is the cooler and moister side of the state.
Gov. Inslee issues emergency drought declaration for Washington state by Callie Craighead and Alec Regimbal, SeattlePI
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee issued an emergency drought declaration across most of the state on Wednesday.
The declaration allows expedited permitting for emergency water rights and allows the government to safeguard water supplies, aid state agriculture and augment stream flows to protect fish. A drought emergency means that projected water supplies are expected to be significantly lower than normal.
Inslee said the drought was a result of climate change.
“This is the summer of climate change,” Inslee said during Wednesday’s press conference. “And we are hopeful this is the summer when we rally as a united state against this horrendous threat.”
KXLY
July 14, 2021 8:54 PM Kaitlin Knapp
Updated:
SPOKANE, Wash. There have been more than 900 fires in Washington so far this year. Some in Spokane have been in the Urban Wildfire Interface. These are homes that are close or in areas with trees and brush.
With the dry conditions, it increases the chances of a fire happening. On Wednesday afternoon, this exact scenario happened in Liberty Park.
“We’re all on high alert,” said Spokane Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer. “The fire moved rapidly to the east, endangering a number of homes on the bluff.”
The fire started around 1:30 p.m. A homeowner said they heard a large pop and immediately saw the fire.
Washington governor calls it the summer of climate change as as West Coast to be hit with another heatwave from Saturday independent.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from independent.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.