YAKIMA COUNTY, Wash. — Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz toured the site of the Black Canyon Fire Friday and gave a briefing on the state of the fire season so far.
According to Franz, the state has more resources to fight fires and hasn't necessarily seen an unusual number of fires so far this year, but other factors have put a strain on the people and tools available to fight them.
National crews that would normally be available to assist in Washington are working on historic fires in Oregon, and the fires being fought locally require significant air resources because of hard to reach terrain. Those air resources must be used safely.
"Resources are stretched thin in a number of ways," Franz said. "I think resources are stretched thin and getting that way in aviation because we have to give them rest time. Resources are being stretched on the ground, rest is critical."
Fire officials with Northeast Washington Fire said managers must balance putting out new fires fast with containing those already burning, meaning it's essential for people to prevent starts wherever possible.
Joel Whitehead and Mark James of Camp Ghormley said the camp had to evacuate due to the Retreat Fire.
"It quickly became apparent we were going to have to leave, so on Tuesday night we evacuated 130 campers and staff out of the camp, the long way around the mountain down to Naches, and since then we've been waiting for more information because we can't access the camp, our main road is highway 12 so we're part of the evacuation at this point," Whitehead said.
While the property itself appears to be safe, road closures and other impacts may cause unexpected costs from power outages or water issues. They've already seen donations to a hardship fund created due to the disaster.
"It's been really humbling to see the community rally around us, the way we were able to work with our parents and the community, especially the Naches Valley Park District, having a location where we could do that transfer and keep our campers safe, that was essential, and people volunteering to take our staff in and keep them safe," James said.
Franz said Friday the fire season could stretch into October, meaning a long haul for firefighters who have been working around the clock. There is a particular need for more administrative and logistic workers to help keep operations running.