Clark County agencies are imposing recreational burn bans ahead of a weekend weather system officials warn poses severe wildfire danger.
The National Weather Service in Portland issued a Red Flag Warning for Clark County, effective 11 a.m. Friday to 11 p.m. Saturday. A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly.
During that time, conditions are expected to be hazy, with wind gusts as high as 30 mph Friday and 33 mph Saturday in Vancouver. The Weather Service predicts temperatures in Vancouver will reach 87 degrees Friday and 92 degrees Saturday.
Agencies announced burn bans in Camas, Washougal, Battle Ground and unincorporated Clark County on Thursday. Those join a ban issued in July in Vancouver.
“The ongoing hot, dry weather has us concerned with how easy it is for a fire to be ignited by an escaped ember from a recreational fire,” Clark County Fire Marshal Dan Young said in a news release. “A small campfire can accidentally spread to adjacent properties very easily with our current dry conditions.”
Portland General Electric and Pacific Power announced Wednesday shutoff notices for tens of thousands of customers across Oregon due to the threat of extreme weather conditions.
Clark Public Utilities does not anticipate any weather-related outages over the weekend, and the company had no plans, as of Thursday morning, to shut off power for any residents as a precaution, according to spokesman Dameon Pesanti. He said the utility would only shut off power in extreme circumstances and will provide timely information to customers if that becomes necessary.
“Our crews are in full wildfire/outage mitigation mode and are supplied with firefighting equipment to respond accordingly,” Pesanti said in an email. “We will have employees patrol our highest risk areas and will monitor them throughout the weekend.”
Although the Bonneville Power Administration has decided to turn off one line in south-central Washington, spokesman Doug Johnson said that should not result in any loss of service for customers. BPA will also monitor conditions and equipment throughout the weekend, he said.
Officials are noting similarities between the conditions forecasted this weekend and those seen Labor Day weekend in 2020.
Meteorologist David Bishop said that although there aren’t the number of fires already burning in the Cascades like there were two years ago, any new fire starts this weekend will spread rapidly due to the wind gusts.
Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue Chief John Nohr said he’s always nervous in September and early October, especially when officials issue a Red Flag Warning, because of the number of wildfires that spark around this time.
“It’s my 37th year working locally here in the fire service and all of those big fires that we have — big brush fires that extend to houses and businesses and really take out big swaths — those are late-season fires,” he said.
His agency is staffing an extra crew to have an additional brush fire unit available Friday and Saturday. He said partner fire agencies will likely do the same and coordinate resources throughout the area.
“I’m confident we’ll handle it, but we are definitely taking the steps to prepare and be ready to respond,” Nohr said.
Temperatures should begin to fall, and the wind should subside Sunday with high temperatures in the mid-70s by the middle of next week, Bishop said.
The county fire marshal’s office says the ban will remain in place until there’s been enough rain to lower the fire risk.
Young recommends people protect their houses from fires by:
- removing fuel within 3 to 5 feet of foundations, outbuildings, garages and sheds; within 10 feet of a house; under decks and porches; and from gutters, eaves, porches and decks.
- cutting the lawn if it is brown, and disposing of debris and cuttings.
- pruning trees so lowest branches are 6 to 10 feet above the ground.
- landscaping with native and flame-resistant plants.
Officials also remind people not to let vehicles idle on grass or brush, not to let chains drag on the road when towing and not to throw cigarette butts onto grass.
