It’s wildfire season in the islands

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, August 6, 2025

Wildfires are continuing to plague Orcas Island.

A blaze in Moran State Park is the latest in human-caused forest fires. On the morning of July 28, Orcas Island Fire and Rescue responded to a fire on the southeast shore of Mountain Lake. It was reported by campers who saw the flames from the opposite shore. They kayaked to the location of the fire and threw buckets of water onto the flames.

OIFR arrived on scene with six wildland firefighters and Chief Chad Kimple and found a 10-foot diameter area that was still smoldering. The area was quickly contained, and the fire was extinguished. A bucket brigade from the lake was established to douse the area and eliminate any underground fire pockets. The likely cause was an illegal campfire in an off-trail campsite.

This is the fourth wildfire in the last few weeks, in addition to multiple calls for smoke investigations.

On July 20, OIFR responded to a wildland fire off Point Lawrence Road in Doe Bay, likely caused by an unattended campfire. Minutes later, a second call came in for a 3/4 of an acre blaze reported off Palisades Road in Rosario. The cause has not been determined. A 7-acre wildland blaze in the West Sound area on July 8 took a week to extinguish fully. It started after a contractor was cutting grass the day before, set down the equipment for fuel and string and hot exhaust touched moss and grasses.

“The working theory is that the heat of the exhaust touching the moss caused it to smolder until the next day, when the heat of the day, followed by offshore winds, picked up and ignited that area, causing the wildland fire,” Kimple said.

Over 80 individuals, 14 fire engines, two helicopters, 1 bulldozer and more than 1,000’ feet of fire hoses were utilized during the first day of operations and six days of hotspot containment and investigation. OIFR was aided by the Department of Natural Resources and firefighting crews from Lopez and San Juan.

“When we get into the months of August and September, when things are really dry, you know, there’s no guarantee we’re going to have two helicopters or mutual aid assistance if there are fires on other islands,” Kimple told the Sounder. “We were very fortunate the stars aligned where everybody was available to come to our emergency here on Orcas, but that’s not a guaranteed response.”

San Juan County is currently labeled as having a “Very High Fire Danger.” All recreational campfires with wood or charcoal are not permitted. The ban on recreational campfires is likely to continue throughout the summer as the conditions are becoming drier and more susceptible to accidental fire. Though there is a chance of rain in the long-range forecast, it has been drier and windier than usual.

The dry yellow grass that is so common in the islands is highly flammable. Nearly all island fires are started accidentally by people. Many fires are started by people working with gas-powered equipment with metal-bladed tools. Gas engines can throw sparks. Metal blades or chains often spark when they strike rock or soil, and a hot muffler or exhaust may ignite dry grass or moss. This is among the most common sources of ignition in the islands.

Tips from San Juan County

• If you are doing landscaping, mowing, farm or yard work with power equipment or tools, be smart about where you’re working, where you set your tools down and keep plenty of water and a shovel on hand to extinguish a fire should it start. Keep a close eye on where you’ve been working for an hour or more, even if a fire isn’t immediately apparent. Sparks can smolder and ignite long after work is finished. If a fire does start, call 911 immediately, don’t delay.

• Don’t do work that could start a fire if it is windy out. And try to do your work earlier in the day, finishing before noon, as opposed to later in the day (when it is drier). Examples of this work include welding or using a grinder outside, mowing grass, using farm equipment, weed eating and running a chainsaw.

• Never park a vehicle in tall dry grass. Exhaust systems can start a fire.

• Take steps to protect your home and property by visiting https://wildfireready.dnr.wa.gov/ and signing up for a free wildfire preparedness consultation.

• If you see or smell smoke, investigate to see if you can find the source. Report it to 911 if need be, the more info about the location, the better. No one should be having a campfire until the burn ban is lifted. Note that gas grills and gas fireplaces are allowed.