Fire officials say Central Washington communities are always at risk for wildfires, but they doubt a blaze as deadly and destructive as the Camp Fire in California could happen the same way here.
“Do we have some of the same conditions here in Ellensburg? Yes. But we don’t have the exact same conditions,” said John Sinclair, chief of Kittitas Valley Fire and Rescue. “Could a fire start? Absolutely. But so long as we have the ability to get to it quickly and engage the fire, we’re not going to see a situation like the one in Paradise.”
Paradise, Calif., was consumed by the Camp Fire, an inferno that’s being blamed for at least 71 deaths and the destruction of more than 9,000 structures. It’s the deadliest fire in the state’s history.
Ellensburg and Selah topped a list of communities most at risk for wildfire devastation in Washington. That list, part of a study done by the U.S. Forest Service and Montana-based firm Pyrologix, identified 50 communities in Washington and Oregon with the highest cumulative risk from wildfire, based on the probability of burning and the number of housing units exposed to fire. Ellensburg placed second and Selah was third. Leavenworth was first in Washington.