Weeks of critical fire weather, marked by low humidity and strong, gusty winds against a backdrop of drought, set the stage for Washington’s worst wildfire season in memory. More than one million acres of forest, grassland, and other open lands burned in 2015. As in previous seasons, human activity and lighting strikes were the primary causes of wildfires. What was unusual in 2015 was that cities and towns, including Wenatchee, Walla Walla, Spokane, Pateros, Chelan, Winthrop, and Okanogan, were on the front lines of rapidly spreading and unpredictable fires. Even the Olympic rainforest was not spared, with the Paradise fire burning from June to September. NASA satellite imagery showed wildfire smoke covering much of the state on August 22. By the peak of the season, about 8,500 firefighters and support personnel were fighting Washington's wildfires. Many Washington residents joined in, too, signing up at DNR intake centers in Omak and Colville. Volunteers with previous training were sent out to help, while about 600 volunteers received training that will allow them to work alongside professional firefighters in seasons to come.
$164 million
WILDFIRE COST TO WASHINGTON'S TAXPAYERS IN 2015
1,005,423
WILDLAND FIRE PHOTO BY ©KARI GREER / US FOREST SERVICE
2015 : A BRUTAL YEAR FOR WILDFIRE
TOTAL ACRES BURNED, ACROSS WASHINGTON, ALL JURISDICTIONS
314,000
ACRES BURNED ON DNR-PROTECTED LANDS
Communities like Wenatchee, Walla Walla, Chelan, and Spokane were on the front line of wildfire this year.
2015 D N R A N N UA L R E P O R T 5