How hot will the weekend be? For details, check our local weather coverage.
In case you missed them, here are some of the top stories from the week:
Clark County bans sale, use of fireworks
Clark County has banned the sale and use of fireworks in unincorporated areas through midnight July 4, the end of the fireworks season. In doing so, the county joins almost all other local jurisdictions.
“We recognize that this decision will cause some hardship to some residents’ celebration plans, as well as businesses and nonprofit organizations that sell fireworks,” County Council Chair Eileen Quiring O’Brien said in a statement released Tuesday morning. “We empathize with all who are affected, but we must follow county codes. They are in place to protect the welfare and safety of Clark County residents.”
- Ban in effect immediately due to extreme risk of fire danger
- More: Clark County officials detail reasons behind fireworks ban
- More: Clark County fireworks ban extinguishes nonprofit fundraisers
Washington has officially reopened. Here’s what you need to know
The days of social distancing and limited indoor capacity are over.
On Wednesday, Washington state lifted most of its remaining coronavirus restrictions. Most businesses can operate as they did in early 2020 if they follow workplace safety requirements.
Crews respond to two-alarm house fire in east Vancouver
About 75 firefighters, 25 fire engines, a boat and a helicopter responded to a burned-down, multimillion-dollar waterfront home in east Vancouver on Monday evening.
Crews responded about 3:15 p.m. to multiple boaters on the Columbia River who called 911 when they saw smoke in trees near 18337 S.E. Evergreen Highway, but callers couldn’t identify the exact address, said Jesse Martin, spokesperson for the Vancouver Fire Department.
- Battling blaze a challenge due to location, heat
- Update: Investigation continues into fire that destroyed riverfront house in east Vancouver
Clark County groups join petition asking Inslee to lift eviction ban on county-by-county basis
Gov. Jay Inslee has once again extended the deadline for a statewide ban on evictions, extending for three months protections for tenants unable to pay rent. He issued the proclamation just a few days before the eviction moratorium had been set to expire on Wednesday.
The news was welcome for housing organizations and homelessness advocates, who warn of a potential “tsunami” of people who will need help when the moratorium finally expires.
Vancouver breaks another record, hitting 115 degrees
Vancouver set its all-time high temperature record Monday at 115 degrees, while many spent the day hunkering down indoors or flocking to water to beat the heat.
The National Weather Service in Portland noted the heat record just before 4 p.m. at Pearson Airfield, which broke Sunday’s record by 3 degrees. The agency had predicted earlier Monday that the high would cap out at 114 degrees in Vancouver.
- Area saw 120 percent increase in heat-related ambulance dispatches
- Update: Hundreds believed dead in Northwest heat wave despite efforts to help
