The Pacific Northwest remains at the highest wildfire preparedness level as dozens of new fires ignited over the weekend.
There is no major active fire identified in Whatcom County in Sunday’s regional incident report from the National Interagency Fire Center. The bigger concern is what happens next: exceptionally dry fuels because of drought, possible holdover fires from lightning, and smoke from Washington and British Columbia drifting into western Whatcom.
A weekend round of lightning and thunderstorms ignited more than 50 new wildfires across the state and Oregon, while southern British Columbia reported 84 new fires over three days. The burst of new starts came amid exceptionally dry conditions, with fire officials warning that some lightning-caused fires can smolder unnoticed before flaring up when winds increase.
The entire state is at Preparedness Level 5, the highest wildfire preparedness level. This categorization does not mean every community is in extreme fire danger or should prepare to evacuate; rather, it means firefighting resources are heavily committed and the potential for significant new fires remains high.
In practical terms, the preparedness level means:
Firefighting resources are stretched nationally and/or regionally. Crews, aircraft, incident-management teams and equipment are already assigned to numerous fires.
New fires can compete for resources. Officials have to prioritize where limited crews and equipment are sent.
Large-fire potential remains high.
The Aug. 23 Northwest Interagency Coordination Center brief says dry fuels, wind and instability are creating elevated-to-high risk for significant fires and making fires harder to control.
The Northwest already has 10 Complex Incident Management Teams committed; nationally, 21 are committed.
