Fire Season Starting Busier Than Last Year

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Story Published: Jun 25, 2009 at 5:50 PM PST

By Sade Malloy

YAKIMA VALLEY -- Fire season has hit Yakima Valley, but this time it's Mother Nature setting the season on fire. The summer is just getting started, so how big a threat will this be to your property and family?

Five days into summer and local firefighters say the threat for fires is way up from last year. Wednesday alone firefighters responded to 6 fires burning at all corners of the Valley. "We have averaged, call volume wise, about 70 calls a week, just within our fire district. Which is up tremendously, we would typically average right around 25-30 calls," says Chief Brian Vogel, Yakima County Fire District No. 5.

Two years ago, arsons were keeping firefighters busy. We had 71 in a single season. Arsons dropped by more than half the following year. But this is a brand new season and an old enemy has come back as a huge challenge for every agency in the Yakima Valley. "Even though we're fighting fires in short grass and things like that, those types of fields can blow up and run really fast," says Captain Dave Martin, Yakima County Fire District No. 5.

Firefighters say Yakima's been in a drought for the past five years and the afternoon winds are fueling the fires. Wind is now being blamed for Wednesday's brush fire that spread to a Wapato home. "What the wet spring did is cause things to grow. As it's drying out and warming up things are dying and there's more fuel to the fire," says Captain Dave Martin, Yakima County Fire District No. 5.

If your home is anywhere near these dry fields, the threat from fires is now a very real threat to you.

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