by Liv Stecker
What began as a normal day of logging activities in the woods east or Orient on May 7th took a dramatic turn when a helicopter that was being used to lift timber fell out of the sky. The UH-1 helicopter, also known as a Huey, broke apart on impact and burst into flames. The 30-year-old female pilot miraculously managed to walk away from the wreckage, and with help from nearby logging crews, made it nearly 1/4 mile through the woods to the road to meet with emergency responders.
The fire from the helicopter quickly spread into nearby timber, and within less than an hour had grown remarkably in size. Firefighters responded from multiple nearby agencies and within a short time the Department of Natural Resources and local units from the Colville National Forest were on scene. By the Thursday evening the fire had grown to 50 acres and within 24 hours there were 100 firefighters battling the blaze.
Any given summer in Northeastern Washington, the risk for accidentally caused wildfire is a real threat. Fast moving grass fires have been caused by vehicle crashes along many major highways and forest roads. The difference in this situation is not only the type of crash, but the time of year. Franklin Pemberton, Public Information Officer for The Colville National Forest, says that while fire behavior on the Hungry Hill blaze was what firefighters would call "moderate", for early May, fire activity in heavy timber is highly unusual.
Hungry Hill Fire was contained at 85 acres with the help of several outside fire crews, including Interagency Hotshots who came in from Oregon to help put out the fire. Local fire managers were thrown into active fire mode weeks ahead of the anticipated fire season, and before many local seasonal fire employees had begun work. Hungry Hill was a glimpse into what could be one of the most potentially dangerous fire seasons we have seen regionally for some time. After the tragic losses last year during the Carleton Complex, fire managers are looking at ways to help communities prepare for and prevent devastating events like we saw in the Methow Valley.
On May 15, 2015, Governor Jay Inslee declared a statewide drought emergency. The current Washington State snowpack is presently at 15% of normal levels. The last statewide drought emergency was declared in 2005 when the snowpack was at 25% of normal levels. More than 3/4 of residential watersheds in Washington State are below 75% of normal supply levels. Even with the rainstorms that have swept through northeastern Washington lately, we have a long summer ahead of us. Long term weather outlooks for the summer are calling for normal precipitation for the summer, but due to higher than normal temperatures, evaporation rates will accelerate and we are looking forward to a very dry season.
All of these factors mean an increased chance of wildfire in our area this year, both human and naturally caused. The first line of defense for fire prevention and protection starts with each resident and community. To help rural homeowners prepare for the risk of wildfire, the National Fire Prevention Association has developed a program called FireWise Communities, which provides resources and tools to reduce the chances of property loss in case of fire. Visit www.FireWise.org for more information and find out how to make your community FireWise before this season gets the better of us. Also visit www.fireadaptedcommunities.org to find out about how you can integrate wildfire preparedness throughout every part of your community, professionally, recreationally and personally. For current wildfire information, visit www.inciweb.org - all major incidents are updated on this site daily. Fire weather forecasts and information can be found through the National Weather Service at www.nws.noaa.gov.
No comments:
Post a Comment