Camp Murray, Wash. — The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says fire fighters from around the country are on the way to reinforce their weary counterparts in Washington state. In response to the agency’s request, fire fighters will be reporting in from New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
DNR and the state’s other fire fighting agency, the State Fire Marshal’s Office of the Washington State Patrol (WSP), continued pushing to control blazes in multiple locations in central Washington today.
Concerned about winds that could push the Saddle Mountain Fire in Kittitas County across the Columbia River into Grant County, WSP authorized another Fire Mobilization to bolster local fire fighters. New this morning, the fire had burned 38,000 acres by 5 p.m. today.
However, the Carlton Complex in Okanogan County continued to be the main concern. Starting the day at 215,000 acres burned, the complex grew to the south and north-northeast. The Carlton Complex’s dangerous nature has made it the number one fire in the country, according to DNR.
New this afternoon: a fire near Fish Trap Lake on the Lincoln-Spokane county line.
While Okanogan County has been the hardest hit due to the sprawling Carlton Complex, wildfires are also burning in Chelan, Grant, Kittitas and Yakima counties. Power outages are prevalent in the western part of Okanogan, phone service is inconsistent and 9-1-1 service is sporadic. Brewster, Pateros, Twisp, Winthrop and other communities in the county are temporarily powering water systems and sewer services on generator. Without power, pumping gas is also an issue.
Other state activities—State agencies coordinate their support to the wildfire response through the State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at Camp Murray. State activities today included:
* The Washington State Department of Transportation has been striving to keep roads open in Chelan, Okanogan and other counties. For the latest on road closures and openings, go
to<http://www.wsdot.com/traffic/trafficalerts/default.aspx> .
* The Department of Health (DOH) is pre-positioning hospital beds and medical equipment in Yakima and Spokane as a precaution in case any hospitals or long-term care facilities need to be evacuated.
* The Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) is providing locals and responders with a list of long-term care facilities, hospitals and medical clinics; and people who are receiving basic food assistance and may need specialized support.
* The Department of Enterprise Services is supporting the American Red Cross, Seventh Day Adventists and other organizations in the Washington Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters as they develop a comprehensive donations management plan for Okanogan County.
* The Logistics Section of the State EOC dispatched a donations management coordinator and logistics liaison to Okanogan County; and continues to work on filling county requests for generators to power public and private sector critical infrastructure. Logistics is also
coordinating the transport of hospital beds and medical shelter supplies to DOH’s forward staging areas in Yakima and Spokane; and providing communications and power generation support for the firefighting response, overall.
Non-government agencies—The American Red Cross and Southern Baptist Disaster Relief will begin providing some 2,000 meals to fire survivors at the Okanogan County Fairgrounds on Sunday, and the Red Cross is delivering breakfast bars and water there today. In Kittitas County, the Red Cross opened a new shelter in the town of Kittitas to serve displaced people and
feed responders.
Proclamation—On July 14, Gov. Jay Inslee proclaimed a state of emergency in 20 Eastern Washington counties in response to multiple wildfires threatening homes, businesses, public infrastructure and natural resources. The proclamation noted that fire crews faced continuing severe fire conditions. The governor’s emergency proclamation covers Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, Whitman and Yakima counties.
