VANCOUVER, Wash. (KOIN) — Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency for wildfire threats across the state of Washington.
Inslee signed the emergency proclamation Tuesday for all 39 counties to ensure the immediate response of firefighting resources to protect people, homes, businesses and public and private property from the threat of a wildfire.
“Catastrophic fires are burning up and down the West Coast, putting a strain on our firefighting resources,” Inslee said. “This proclamation ensures resources are ready to go at a moment’s notice to help protect our communities from another unprecedented fire season.”
The proclamation allows the state to get assistance from the Washington National Guard. The Department of Natural Resources has already requested help from the National Guard — including 20-person hand crews to be deployed to Eastern Washington.
There are several fires across the state right now including Miriam, Cutthroat Lake and Cougar Creek Fires. The biggest one is Chelan Hills Fire at 1,842 acres, however, it’s 97% contained as of Tuesday afternoon.
