Washington Forest Fires 2015

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Column of smoke over the Wolverine Fire on August 4th

The forest fires from June to September 2015 were the worst in the history of Washington State, with 1,005,423 acres (approx. 407,000 hectares) burned across the state . No fewer than 3,000 firefighters including 800 members of the National Guard were deployed to fight the fire. The 17th Field Artillery Brigade of the United States Army sent also 200 soldiers from Fort Lewis to support.

On August 21, President Barack Obama declared a national emergency. Due to the enormous spread of the fires, state officials called for the first time in Washington history to call on the population to volunteer to fight the forest fires. On August 24, the Washington Department of Natural Resources announced that the Okanogan Complex had become the largest fire complex in Washington history.

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources called the season the "worst ever" season in the state's history. In a total of 1,541 individual fires, there were three dead and four injured. The fires cost $ 253 million.

Progress and response

The Sleepy Hollow Fire (2015) in Monitor (Washington) near its origin overcomes the mountain range and spreads towards Wenatchee from
One of the 2015 forest fires destroyed 29 homes in Wenatchee, as well as a fruit storage and recycling center.
The cleaning of a fruit store of the residues of a fire that broke out in a recycling center after it was triggered by hot ashes from a nearby forest fire - the Sleepy Hollow fire

June

June 2015 was a remarkably hot month for Washington with mean temperatures 2… 5 K above normal; new heat records were set. As of June 23, 313 forest fires had broken out across the state.

Activities of the governor

Governor Jay Inslee issued a proclamation on June 26th declaring a state of emergency for all counties and putting the Washington State Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan into effect. He ordered the deployment of the National Guard and other military units that could support the fight against emergencies. All measures were taken due to the predicted fire risk as a result of the drier than usual weather in June. The Commissioner of Public Lands , Peter J. Goldmark, head of the Washington Department of Natural Resources , issued an additional ban on open flames in addition to the one issued on June 22, as the earlier ban was overridden by the governor's proclamation. The commissioner's ban affected campfires in state forests, state parks, and state forests and was in effect from June 26 to September 30, 2015.

Sleepy Hollow Brand

The 2015 season kicked off unprecedentedly early with the Sleepy Hollow fire on June 28th and also struck the city of Wenatchee , Chelan County . 2,950 acres (approx. 1,190 hectares) were burned, 29 residential houses and several employees' buildings destroyed. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but it is "probably man-made". The officials named the cause of the unusual intensity the drought and record temperatures. As a precautionary measure, authorities banned traditional Independence Day fireworks in many parts of the state. A man was arrested in connection with the fire and confessed to having caused it with a disposable lighter, but was unable to appear in court due to a mental disorder.

July

By July 12, more than 16,000 acres (approximately 6,470 hectares) had been burned. This included a single fire near Ephrata , Grant County , that destroyed at least 10,000 acres (approximately 4,050 hectares). Later in the month one of the larger farm equipment fires broke out near Walla Walla and burned more than 6,000 acres in two weeks.

August

MODIS satellite image of Washington Aug. 22, showing Puget Sound covered in smoke from the forest fires off east Washington
A fire-fighting aircraft dropping fire retardants over the spreading Chelan Butte fire (part of the Chelan fire complex)

The scale of the forest fires in August led to the declaration of a state of emergency in Washington by President Barack Obama on August 21, 2015.

By August 24, more than 16 active fires had already destroyed more than 2,400 km². On August 29, there was agreement that unusually strong south winds would cause "significant growth" in the Tunk Block and Lime Belt burns in the Okanogan Complex and growth in the Chelan Complex. The Twisp River and Nine Mile Fires were about 95 percent under control.

Chelan complex

Three fires south of Lake Chelan near the town of Chelan combined to form a fire complex and forced the immediate evacuation of more than 1,000 residents on August 14. By August 16, the Reach fire complex had grown to over 54,500 acres (approximately 22,100 hectares) while the Wolverine fire had destroyed almost 39,000 acres (approximately 15,800 hectares). According to Rico Smith, a spokesman for firefighters near Chelan, "about 85 homes, shops and other buildings had been destroyed by the Chelan fire complex" by August 29.

Okanogan complex

The Okanogan Fire Complex was formed from five individual forest fires in Okanogan County , all but one of which were caused by lightning strikes and had destroyed an estimated 96,034 acres (38,864 hectares) by August 20. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved the use of federal funds on August 14 for the Nine Mile Fire, one of the five belonging to the Okanogan Complex, classifying it as a "major disaster". More than 1,300 residents in the towns of Twisp and Winthrop were asked to evacuate because the Twisp River fire was getting closer. On August 19, 2015, three firefighters were killed while fighting a forest fire near Twisp.

By August 24, the fire complex had grown to 256,657 acres (103,865 hectares), surpassing the 2014 Carlton Complex for the size of wildfires in Washington history. By August 28, "at least 45 houses, 49 huts and 60 outbuildings had been destroyed by the Okanogan fire complex." The size of the fire complex peaked at 304,782 acres (123,341 ha) on August 30, prior to the passage of the 161,440 acres (approx. 65,330 ha) tunk block fire under the North Star fire on August 31.

International support

After the emergency declaration in August, President Obama asked the Australian Fire Services (including those involved in the Black Saturday fires ) to help the exhausted US forces. By August 24, around 70 fire managers from Australia and New Zealand had arrived at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, to be trained and equipped to head west to fight the fire.

Air quality

As a result of the forest fires, air quality in Washington and neighboring Canada fell to unhealthy levels in many cities; this resulted in several air quality warnings from the US National Weather Service and Environment Canada . Omak , located 15 mi (24 km) northeast of the Okanogan fire complex, reported an air quality index of 500 on August 24, which is classified as "hazardous" ("hazardous"). The city of Spokane , 150 mi (241 km) from the fires, reported an "unhealthy" index of 188 on Aug. 24, forcing high school athletes and other outdoor workers to do theirs Cease activities. By Tuesday, August 25, Environment Canada issued an Air Quality Alert for cities as far away as Calgary - 400 mi (644 km) away - with a value of 12. The Canadian Air Quality Health Index , measured on a scale of 1 up to 10+ with 10 as “very high risk”, based on measurements of “ozone on the ground, solid particles and nitrogen dioxide”. By Wednesday, the third day of dangerous smog, the value for Calgary rose to 17.

The smoke from the Chelan Complex was blown westward over Seattle and the Puget Sound region by high winds on August 22 , causing unhealthy weather and deteriorating air quality for several days.

aftermath

In December, Governor Jay Inslee proposed a $ 178 million supplemental budget to cover the state's fire fighting costs.

List of fires

As of August 28, 2015
Surname place Burned area
[ha] 		Data root cause Remarks
Start / message The End
231 fires Spokane Indian Reservation and Stevens County 1,138 acres (461 ha) 03rd July 2015 July 12, 2015 Wil be inspected
Alder Lake Fire Gifford Pinchot National Forest 253 acres July 26, 2015 active (10% contained) lightning
Blankenship brand Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forest 180 acres July 14, 2015 active
Blue Creek fire Walla Walla County 6,004 acres 20th July 2015 active (95% contained) Wil be inspected
Carpenter Road fire Spokane Indian Reservation and Stevens County 46,691 acres (18,895 hectares) Aug 12, 2015 active (25% contained) unknown
Chelan complex Chelan County 90,210 acres (36,507 hectares) 14 Aug 2015 active (52% contained) Complex of 5 fires
Colville complex Ferry and Stevens County 9,879 acres (3,998 ha) 14 Aug 2015 active (48% contained) Complex of 3 fires
Cougar Creek Yakama Indian Reservation and Gifford Pinchot National Forest 49,200 acres (19,911 hectares) Aug 10, 2015 active (25% contained) lightning
Douglas County Complex Douglas County 22,337 acres (9,039 hectares) July 10, 2015 15th July 2015 lightning Complex of 2 fires
Grizzly Bear Complex Umatilla National Forest 72,421 acres (29,308 hectares) Aug 13, 2015 active (10% contained) lightning Complex of 17 fires; including share in Oregon
Highway 8 fire Klickitat County 33,100 acres (13,395 hectares) 0Aug 4, 2015 active (95% contained) unknown
Kaniksu Complex Colville National Forest and Pend Oreille Counties 16,335 acres (6,611 ha) Aug 11, 2015 active (10% contained) lightning Complex of 7 fires
Kettle complex Ferry County 62,292 acres (25,209 ha) Aug 11, 2015 active (16% contained) lightning Complex of 3 fires
Marble Valley Stevens County 3,087 acres (1,249 ha) 14 Aug 2015 active (85% contained) unknown
Mount Adams Complex Gifford Pinchot National Forest 405 acres July 10, 2015 active (78% contained) unknown Complex of 4 fires
Newby Lake Fire Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forest 5,065 acres (2,050 ha) 02nd July 2015 active (95% contained) lightning including the British Columbia portion
North Boulder 2 Ferry County 233 acres 20th July 2015 active (80% contained) lightning
North Star Colville Indian Reservation , Colville National Forest,
and Okanogan and Ferry Counties 		192,900 acres (78,064 hectares) Aug 13, 2015 active (22% contained) human
Okanogan complex Okanogan County 302,224 acres (122,306 ha) Aug 15, 2015 active (12% contained) lightning Complex of 5 fires; second largest in Washington history
including British Columbia
Paradise fire Olympic National Park 2,796 acres (1,132 hectares) May 15, 2015 active (40% contained) lightning
PC Complex Clark and Cowlitz Counties 129 acres July 16, 2015 July 24, 2015 human Complex of 5 fires
Saddle Lakes fire Saddle Mountain National Wildlife Refuge 14,357 acres (5,810 hectares) June 28, 2015 July 16, 2015 lightning
Sleepy Hollow Brand Chelan County 2,950 acres June 28, 2015 0July 6, 2015 human
Thunder Creek North Cascades National Park 103 acres May 30, 2015 active (60% contained) lightning
Twenty-One Mile Grade Colville Indian Reservation 2,250 acres 0July 1, 2015 July 10, 2015 human
Upper Skagit Complex North Cascades National Park 7,878 acres (3,188 ha) Aug 10, 2015 active (37% contained) lightning Complex of 8 fires
Williams fire Stevens County 332 acres 03rd July 2015 July 10, 2015 Wil be inspected
Wolverine fire Wenatchee National Forest 62,167 acres (25,158 hectares) June 29, 2015 active (28% contained) lightning Part of the Chelan Complex
  1. ↑ during the greatest expansion
  2. ↑ Date on which the fire was declared completely extinguished

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c 2015 Northwest Fire Statistics to Date . In: NWCC Info , Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, September 30, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2015. 
  2. ↑ Washington wildfires rage; Obama declares state of emergency . In: The Seattle Times , August 21, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2016. 
  3. ↑ Wildfires explode in size as high winds blast region . In: KOMO-TV , August 21, 2015. Archived from the original on December 20, 2015. Retrieved on August 22, 2015. 
  4. ↑ On the front lines: 800 National Guard troops join battle against raging wildfires . Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  5. ^ On the Front Lines . Q13 FOX News. August 24, 2015. Archived from the original on December 2, 2015. Retrieved on December 2, 2015.
  6. ↑ a b c Washington recruits volunteer firefighters as wildfires declared federal emergency . In: RT , August 21, 2015. Archived from the original on August 23, 2015. Retrieved on August 23, 2015. 
  7. ^ Okanogan Complex fire the largest in Washington state history , CBC News . August 25, 2015. Retrieved August 26, 2015. 
  8. ↑ 2015 Wildfire Summary . Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  9. ↑ Fallen firefighters remembered as heroes as thousands battle blazes across west . In: Fox News , August 21, 2015. Archived from the original on September 4, 2015 Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved August 22, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.foxnews.com 
  10. ↑ a b 3 Firefighters Die in Wildfire After Vehicle Crashes . In: ABC News , August 20, 2015. Archived from the original on August 25, 2015. 
  11. ↑ Jeff Mapes: After wildfires rage in the West, Congress moves to provide $ 700 million in emergency aid . In: The Oregonian , September 30, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2015. 
  12. ↑ Jack Broom: June breaks record as warmest, fanning fears of more fires . In: The Seattle Times , July 1, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2016. 
  13. ↑ June Event Summary . Office of the Washington Climatologist. July 7, 2015. Accessed December 31, 2016.
  14. ↑ a b c Governor Inslee and Commissioner of Public Lands Goldmark take steps to reduce wildfire risk , Office of the Governor of Washington. June 26, 2015. Accessed August 23, 2015. 
  15. ↑ Jay Inslee : Proclamation by the Governor 15-11 (PDF) Office of the Governor of Washington. June 26, 2015. Accessed August 23, 2015.
  16. ↑ Peter J. Goldmark: Commissioner's Order 201526 . Washington Department of Natural Resources. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved August 23, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / wa-dnr.s3.amazonaws.com
  17. ↑ Sleepy Hollow Final Update 7_4_15 . In: Inciweb . National Wildfire Coordinating Group. July 4, 2015. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  18. ^ Sleepy Hollow Fire person of interest sought . In: KING-TV , July 6, 2015. Accessed July 7, 2015.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Dead Link / legacy.king5.com  
  19. ↑ Maria La Ganga: Washington's wildfire season gets off to an early, unprecedented start . In: Los Angeles Times , July 4, 2015. Retrieved July 7, 2015. 
  20. ^ Bans in effect across Washington state for fireworks . In: KIRO-TV , July 2, 2015. Accessed July 7, 2015. 
  21. ↑ Jefferson Robbins: Criminal charge dismissed for Sleepy Hollow Fire suspect . In: Wenatchee World , December 7, 2016. Retrieved March 15, 2017. 
  22. ↑ Wildfires engulf swaths of Washington state , CNN. July 12, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015. 
  23. ↑ UPDATE: Evacuation Notices & Road Closures Lifted for Blue Creek Fire Near Walla Walla . NBC Right Now. August 7, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  24. ^ President Obama Signs Washington Emergency Declaration , Federal Emergency Management Agency . August 21, 2015. 
  25. ↑ Jim Camden: Obama signs Emergency Declaration for Washington . In: The Spokesman Review , August 21, 2015. 
  26. ^ A b c Elisha Fieldstadt: Okanogan Complex: Washington Wildfire Is Now Largest in State History , NBC News. August 24, 2015. 
  27. ↑ a b c Firefighters fear wildfires will be spurred by winds . Seattle News. August 29, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  28. ↑ Merged wildfires surround Chelan, prompt massive evacuation . In: The Seattle Times , Aug. 14, 2015. 
  29. ↑ 160 homes threatened near Chelan, thousands evacuated . In: The Seattle Times , Aug 16, 2015. 
  30. ^ Okanogan Complex Fire Update . In: InciWeb . National Wildfire Coordinating Group. August 20, 2015. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  31. ^ FEMA provides federal funds to help fight Nine Mile Fire , Federal Emergency Management Agency. August 14, 2015. 
  32. ^ M. Alex Johnson: Three Firefighters Killed in Washington Blaze Identified . In: NBC News , Aug 21, 2015. 
  33. ↑ Okanogan Complex Update - August 24 . In: InciWeb , National Wildfire Coordinating Group, August 24, 2015. Archived from the original on August 24, 2015. 
  34. ↑ Okanogan Complex Update - August 30 . In: InciWeb , National Wildfire Coordinating Group, August 30, 2015. Archived from the original on September 1, 2015. Retrieved September 4, 2015. 
  35. ↑ Okanogan Complex and Chelan Complex Fire Update for Aug. 31, 2015 . In: InciWeb , National Wildfire Coordinating Group, August 31, 2015. Archived from the original on September 4, 2015. Retrieved September 4, 2015. 
  36. ↑ Australian firefighters head to US to help battle wildfires . In: Ninemsn . August 25, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  37. ↑ Idaho firefighters make progress, international help arrives . In: Krem via Associated Press . August 24, 2015. Accessed on August 26, 2015.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / legacy.krem.com  
  38. ^ Okanogan Complex fire the largest in Washington state history: Smoke from the massive fire has led to smoke advisories across BC . In: CBC , August 24, 2015. Retrieved August 26, 2015. 
  39. ↑ Air Quality Alert . National Weather Service . August 24, 2015. Accessed August 24, 2015.
  40. ↑ Chris Dolce: Satellite Images Show Air Quality Is Worse in Some Northwestern Towns Than Beijing , The Weather Channel . August 24, 2015. 
  41. ↑ a b Spokane air will stay unhealthy through Wednesday . In: The Spokesman Review , August 24, 2015. 
  42. ↑ Molly Trotter: Okanogan air quality drops from wildfires , KREM-TV. August 24, 2015.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Dead Link / legacy.krem.com  
  43. ↑ Erin McCann: Washington wildfires break state record: just how big is the blaze? . In: The Guardian , August 24, 2015. 
  44. ↑ Environment Canada declares Calgary's air quality 'very high risk' as smoke blankets city skies . In: National Post via Postmedia News . August 25, 2015. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  45. ↑ Jeremy Simes, Lucie Edwardson: Some Calgarians desperate for fresh air as heavy smoke lingers Extremely poor air quality especially hard on people with asthma, kids, and athletes . Metro News. August 25, 2015. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  46. ^ Daniel Martins: Poor air quality off the charts as smoke chokes the west . In: The Weather Network . August 26, 2015. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  47. ↑ Melissa Ramsay: Third day of bad air quality in Calgary, causing health concerns . Global News. August 26, 2015. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  48. ^ Smoky skies cause air quality concerns . In: KING-TV , August 22, 2015.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Dead Link / legacy.king5.com  
  49. ↑ Scott Sistek: Watch: 'Smoke front' from Chelan wildfires moves into Seattle area . In: KOMO-TV , August 22, 2015. 
  50. ↑ Tracci Dial: Washington Gov. Jay Inslee Addresses Wildfire Costs, Mental Health in Supplement Budget Proposal , NBC Right Now. December 17, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2016. 
  51. ^ Joseph O'Sullivan: State of the State: Inslee wants money for schools, mental health, wildfires . In: The Seattle Times , January 12, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2016. 
  52. ^ Washington Incidents . In: Inciweb . National Wildfire Coordinating Group. August 23, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  53. ↑ Man arrested, charged with arson in Sleepy Hollow Fire that destroyed nearly 30 homes , Q13 FOX News. March 24, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2016. 

Web links

Commons : Category: 2015 wildfires in Washington (state)  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files