Firefighters: Ore., Wash. wildfires will burn until we get ‘significant rain’

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — With seasonal lightning and easterly winds expected to move across the Pacific Northwest in the coming weeks, firefighters anticipate that more than 1.5 million acres of wildland in Oregon and Washington will continue to burn without help from “significant rain or snow.”

Twenty-six large wildfires are burning in national forests from Southern Oregon to the Canadian border. Although recent rains dampened some of these fires, the U.S. Forest Service cautioned on Aug. 8, most of the wildfires east of the Cascades remain dry and are expected to grow.

“Fire Managers in the Pacific Northwest predict that many wildfires currently burning in Washington and Oregon, and potentially new ones, will persist until the region experiences significant rain or snow this fall,” the U.S. Forest Service said.

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With worsening wildfire conditions, the USFS warns that firefighters are adjusting their strategies to prepare for “long-duration fires.” Jacque Buchanan, a forester for the USFS’s Pacific Northwest region said in a press release that firefighters are taking a “realistic” approach to managing the problem.

“Our planners are taking a realistic look at current wildfires, expected new fires, and the resources we have to help us safeguard human lives and property while enhancing our ability to respond to wildfires in high-risk areas,” Buchanan said.

The “long-duration” firefighting strategy focuses on creating a network of containment lines to help stop fires as they approach neighborhoods, powerlines, water supplies and other natural or cultural resources. However, Kelly Kane, the USFS Director of Fire, Fuels and Aviation in the Pacific Northwest, said that safety is the top priority.

“Firefighting is inherently risky,” Kane said. “Our role as fire managers is to develop strategies that maximize success while minimizing the risk of injury or death to emergency responders. There is no structure that is worth the life of the sons, daughters, parents, siblings and friends that make up our wildland firefighting workforce.”

“Long-duration fires” are said to occur in heavily forested areas like the woods found west of the Cascades. The dense woods provide “ample fuel that can sustain fires for extended periods and hold heat deep within the interior of a wildfire until conditions either escalate or moderate fire activity,” the USFS said.

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The steep, remote terrain makes it difficult for firefighters to reach these woodlands. And if they do, they are often met with dangerous hazards like rumbling rocks and logs, the USFS said. If a firefighter is injured, rescuing them from this terrain presents more logistical problems.

“Despite these challenges, suppression efforts to protect communities and critical areas will continue,” the USFS said. “… Support firefighters engaged in this challenging fire season by respecting emergency closures and adhering to fire restrictions. Do your part to prevent human-caused wildfires.”

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