South Thurston Fire & EMS posted this photo of Brush 41 and Tender 41 before department for Eastern Washington.
A small number of Thurston County firefighters were recently deployed to Eastern Washington to help state and local agencies there with the worsening wildfire season.
Two crewmembers from Southeast Thurston Fire Authority and four from South Thurston Fire and EMS were dispatched earlier early last week separately to the eastside and were setting up to assist with the Palmer Lake fire burning near the Canadian border in Okanogan County.
The wildfire at Palmer Lake has grown to 6,000 acres and was 0 percent contained upon their arrival last week, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center.
South Thurston Fire Chief Andrew Schaffran said two vehicles, Brush 41 and Tender 41, were dispatched with four crewmembers the evening of Sunday, Aug. 16, to Badger Lake.
According to a post on the department’s Facebook page, the crew was assigned to a night shift on the lake and was largely in good spirits.
On Wednesday, Aug. 19, crews got word that they were being reassigned to the Palmer Lake fire.
The 244-acre Badger Lake fire, located 10 miles from Cheney, was reported as 60 percent contained as of last Thursday morning.
“I suspect they’ll be out there for some time, probably two weeks,” Schaffran said of his crews out on Palmer.
Two of Southeast Thurston Fire Authority’s firefighters were also recently reassigned to the Palmer Lake Fire.
Last week, Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency to respond more quickly to the fires threatening Eastern Washington as well as the Olympic Peninsula.
Inslee’s proclamation allows for the state Department of Natural Resources to call in aid from the Washington National Guard to protect homes, public facilities and utilities, businesses and agriculture.
“Due to hot, dry conditions and lightning storms, we have fires burning across Washington and existing firefighting resources are at capacity,” Commissioner of Public Lands Hillary Franz said in a prepared statement, adding that she’s thankful for the help of the National Guard.
With temperatures remaining steady and hot in the Nisqually Valley, Schaffran said people can help out by maintaining and limiting recreation fires, and keeping aware of Thurston County’s burn ban which is in effect until Sept. 30.
