With the start of cooler weather comes the end of another wildfire season in our area. KEPR reports on the costs and trends from the 2015 fire season.
Bill Kwaiser was one of many people whose properties were singed by a wildfire this fire season.
He lives off of state route 224 in Benton city where a large fire came right up to his drive way
"There was a lot of flames and a tremendous amount of smoke," described Kwaiser.
Our local firefighters managed to contain the fire before it reached Bill's home, along with a majority of the structures threatened by the 110 fires Benton County Fire districts responded to this season.
Firefighters say there was no serious damage to crops or property in the Tri-Cities this year. However, the season got off to a busy start, earlier than expected.
"For about six or seven days there were boom boom boom really fast," said Fire Chief Lonnie Click, Benton County Fire District 1.
However, fast was not how Chief Lonnie Click explained the busy season we had this year that lasted through mid September. He says the hot temperatures definitely had something to do with it.
"This is becoming the new normal wild land fire season is much more significant than it was 10 years ago," said Chief Click, adding "We are getting used to having a million acres burned between Washington and Oregon."
A change from normal this year was also how the fires started.
"There were more human related fires than there were last year, less natural fires," said Chief Click.
Chief Click told me fewer sparks were coming from the sky this year versus more sparks coming from people's cars and hands, whether it was accidental or intentional.
"They are just doing their normal things and not thinking about it, and then they start a wildfire," said Chief Click.