Washington's wildfire season got off to an abrupt and early start this month when two separate blazes tore through dry, steep forest, fueling worries about what lies ahead.
Fire officials say they were surprised to see wildfires burning this early west of the Cascades Mountains, particularly one that scorched nearly 300 acres about 60 miles from Seattle.
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While the long-range outlook indicates this year's wildfire season won't be as extreme as last year, state officials say they're nevertheless training and preparing for a difficult fire season ahead. "These fires have shown us that with a warming climate, we know it's (the season) going to be longer, and we should be prepared as best we can," state Public Lands Commissioner Peter Goldmark said in an interview.
On the heels of two consecutive record-setting wildfire seasons, the state Department of Natural Resources is training more wildland firefighters, equipping local agencies with fire equipment, adding aircraft, radios and other equipment.
More than 200 local, state and federal firefighters, including dozens from the Washington National Guard, trained in Yakima last week.
DNR is using $6.7 million in disaster response money that the Legislature approved in April. However, Goldmark said it's only about one-fourth of the $24 million he had requested and isn't enough to prevent a possible repeat of last year.