2024 Washington wildfires

An overview of major wildfires in Washington during the year 2024

2024 Washington wildfires
Retreat Fire from Rimrock Lake
Date(s)March 2024 – present
Season
← 2023

The 2024 Washington wildfire season is an ongoing series of wildfires that have been burning throughout the U.S. state of Washington.

Events

Predictions for the 2024 fire season made by the National Interagency Fire Center in June 2024 included temperatures above normal and precipitation below normal, due to the ENSO transition to a La Niña pattern, resulting in an above normal fire potential for Western Washington in July through September.[1]

On July 10, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources announced a burn ban on its lands that would last until at least September 30. The ban was issued in response to several large, human-caused wildfires amid the statewide drought emergency and drier-than-normal weather across Washington. The largest fire at the time was the Pioneer Fire in the Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest near Lake Chelan, which had grown to more than 12,000 acres (4,900 ha).[2]

List of wildfires

The following is a list of fires that burned more than 1,000 acres (400 ha), or produced significant structural damage or casualties.

Name County Acres Start date Containment date Notes Ref
Pioneer Chelan 35,477 June 8
12% contained
 Town of Stehekin ordered to evacuate (by boat) on the morning of July 28[3] [4]
Nisqually John Whitman 1,221 June 14 June [5]
Beam Road Yakima 8,542 June 15 June 18
Slide Ranch/Mission Road Yakima 3,106 June 22 July 9 began on Yakama Reservation, arson [6][7]
Cougar Creek Asotin, Garfield 20,653 July 15
35% contained
 [8]
Swawilla Ferry & Okanogan 53,462 July 17
94% contained
 Closed State Route 21 and Keller Ferry, evacuations of Keller and the Buffalo Lake area [9]
Easy Okanogan 1,754 July 17
29% contained
 Closed North Cascades Highway (SR 20) [10][11]
Bridge Creek Ferry 3,998 July 19 August 4 [12]
Black Canyon Yakima 9,211 July 22
99% contained
 [13]
Bighorn Klickitat 51,569 July 22 July 30 [14]
Retreat Fire Yakima 45,601 July 23
85% contained
 Closed US-12, caused evacuations and county-wide declaration of emergency [15]
Lower Granite Garfield 14,482 July 29 August 2 At least one structure destroyed. [16]
Williams Mine Skamania County 4,500 August 5
0% contained
 People near Trout Lake evacuated; Mount Adams Wilderness and part of the Pacific Crest Trail closed [17][18][19]
Calcite Creek Okanogan 4,500 August 5 Pyrocumulus cloud generated a few miles away in Manning Provincial Park, Canada; NOAA potential fire alerts less than a mile from the border; Pasayten Wilderness trails closed beginning August 6. [20][21][22]
Road 2620 Jefferson 445 August 14 Roads and trails including Mount Jupiter trail closed, homes threatened around Duckabush [23]

See also

References

  1. ^ "National Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook, period June through September 2024" (PDF). National Interagency Fire Center. June 1, 2024. pp. 1, 5–6.
  2. ^ Demkovich, Laurel (July 10, 2024). "Washington issues burn ban on state lands". Washington State Standard. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  3. ^ Jonathan Martin; Caitlyn Freeman (July 28, 2024). "Stehekin, pressed by wildfire, is under evacuation but many may stay". The Seattle Times.
  4. ^ "Pioneer". InciWeb. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  5. ^ "Nisqually John". InciWeb. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  6. ^ "Hazard Mapping System: Wildfire and Smoke 1980 Slide Ranch". White Swan, Washington: Mansfield News Journal. July 4, 2024. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  7. ^ Metcalf, T. "Slide Ranch Fire in White Swan fully contained, 3,106 acres burned". Non-stop local Tri-cities-Yakima. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  8. ^ "Cougar Creek Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  9. ^ "Swawilla Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  10. ^ Caitlyn Freeman (August 4, 2024). "North Cascades Highway stretch closes again due to wildfire". The Seattle Times.
  11. ^ "Easy Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  12. ^ "Bridge Creek Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  13. ^ "Black Canyon Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  14. ^ "Bighorn Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  15. ^ "Retreat Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  16. ^ "Lower Granite Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  17. ^ Sabinna Pierre; Amy-Xiaoshi DePaola (August 8, 2024). "Wildfire in Washington's Gifford Pinchot National Forest prompts evacuations, closures". Portland: KGW. The fire, estimated at 3,000 acres, was reported in the Mount Adams Wilderness after a lightning storm passed over the area.
  18. ^ "Williams Mine Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  19. ^ Sara Rae Shields (August 8, 2024). "Thursday update: Retreat Fire 64% contained; lightning starts Williams Mine Fire near Trout Lake". Yakima Herald-Republic.
  20. ^ Ben Miljure (August 6, 2024). "Wildfire near B.C.'s Manning Park burns so intensely it produces thunderstorm". Vancouver, BC: CTV News.
  21. ^ "USA Today fire data". USA Today. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  22. ^ "Calcite Creek Fire Closure". Official website. U.S. Forest Service. August 2024. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  23. ^ "Road 2620 Fire shuts down recreation sites near Brinnon, WA". Tacoma: KCPQ. August 16, 2024.