Columbia River Gorge communities aren’t the only ones coming to terms with increasing fire danger in the wildland-urban interface.
Earlier this month in Clark County, the Jenny Creek Fire quickly spread north of La Center as crews hauled in hundreds of gallons of water, unable to access the relief in the rural forested area.
Though the fire only burned 32 acres and destroyed a few structures near its ignition site, Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue Chief John Nohr said it was noticeably fast.
“A fire doesn’t care what your jurisdictional boundary is,” he said. “It’s going where the wind takes it.”
Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue has to act judiciously when handling its resources. Fire rescue crews will only be deployed on red flag days — those where weather is drier and warmer — due to short staffing and mindful spending.
These days may become more common in the future.
For Washington, fire season occurs in September and October, but blazes are appearing earlier in the year with a greater intensity, Nohr said.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported Monday that fire potential remains high in the Pacific Northwest, with conditions forecast to worsen between the Cascade Mountains and coast, areas that are usually wet and not susceptible to fire.
Forest health experts say fire is becoming more prominent in these landscapes and is creating a “new normal.” In 2022, fire burned 178,900 acres across Washington, more than half of which were traditionally wet forests west of the Cascades, according to DNR.
Officials are already taking notice.
“People need to be aware that this is essentially the new norm in Clark County,” Ben Peeler, Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue division chief, told The Columbian shortly after the Jenny Creek Fire. “This is going to become more and more common with changes in the climate.”
