YELM, Wash. — The Southeast Thurston Fire Authority said calls first came in at around 11 a.m. Tuesday morning, notifying them of a brush fire along state route 507 near Vancil Road.
Crews spent an hour and a half battling the flames, which spread across more than 13 acres and threatened approximately 15 homes.
Although the fire was eventually contained, Deputy Chief of Operations Kevin Denton said the dry weather created a perfect storm that allowed the fire to spread quickly.
“Typically at this time of year, we get significant rainfall to wet things up, but we haven’t had that,” Denton said. “We had the right conditions to where we had very dry fuels, we had the winds come up at just the right moment, and it just drove that fire quickly.”
Usually, those conditions dissipate by October, when the rain returns, but climatologist Karin Bumbaco said this past July to September has been the warmest the state has ever seen in this time period and the second driest on record.
“Our summer started late,” Bumbaco said. “If you remember back to spring, we had a pretty cool and late spring. But since it’s been here, it’s been long-lasting, and we’re still seeing the warm conditions and the dry conditions continuing into October.”
Bumbaco said that means the state could see more wildfires, but she thinks relief is on the way. It just needs to happen soon.
“We know our wet season is coming, and it will come, eventually,” Bumbaco said. “We’re not talking about missing out on snow building in the Cascades or the Olympic mountains at this point, so there’s plenty of winter left, it’s just a really delayed start, and the longer it goes, the harder it will be to make up.”
Denton advised residents that even though the burn ban has been lifted, they should take precautions against wildfires. Residents can keep the grass low and maintain a defensive space around their homes so fires don’t have so much fuel to burn.