COUPEVILLE, Wash. — Cool, gray Memorial Days are pretty standard in western Washington, but our summers are increasingly warm and dry -- making wildfire danger very real across the western part of the state.
Teri Jo Summer-Reiger routinely readies her home for fire season every year.
It's something many here in her Whidbey Island community have never had to do before.
"Since there's water all around, people think fires wouldn't be an issue, but they are," she says.
Summer-Reiger is clearing what are called "ladder fuels" from her property.
Ladder fuels are brush that can help a fire on the ground climb into the crowns of trees and spread quickly.
Wildfires have become much more common in western Washington as the climate has changed.
No longer exclusive to the eastern part of the state, wildfires are now appearing in urban areas in the west.
Four years ago, the Sumner Grade Fire destroyed four houses in Bonney Lake.
In 2022, the Bolt Creek Fire along Highway 2 in Snohomish County burned for more than a month.
That is why folks like Sumner-Reiger are clearing "defensible spaces" around their homes.
She's removing dead brush and branches from her property and making sure tree limbs are trimmed 15 feet from the ground.
It's part of what's called Firewise Washington -- where neighbors work together to keep their communities safe from wildfires.
"We've started removing accumulated fuels and making sure under decks are clear, not having firewood next to the house and if pine needles accumulate on the roof and gutters that those are removed," says Teri Jo.
It's estimated that 80% of the homes destroyed in wildfires could've been saved if people followed those simple steps.
The Washington Department of Natural Resources reports that 91% of wildfires are caused by people.
Already, western Washington has seen at least nine wildfires this spring.
It's an ominous sign of what may lie ahead.
"We get these spring fire seasons here and there," says the DNR's Josh Etringer. "That was kind of an awakening for us. Fire season is already here."
Sumner-Reiger is doing her part by making sure her home and her community are safe.
"We just want to put out our best effort in case something happens so the intensity of the fire is as low as possible," she says.