San Juan County community alert | Wildfire danger

||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT |||

As summer continues, fire risk increases. While a bit cooler than normal, this summer has been drier and windier than usual (though there is a chance of rain in long range forecast). We’ve seen a handful of fires across the islands, and now is a good time to remind island residents and visitors of the following:

• NEARLY ALL ISLAND FIRES ARE STARTED ACCIDENTALLY BY PEOPLE.
• THE DRY YELLOW GRASS THAT IS SO COMMON IN THE ISLANDS IS EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE.
• CAMPFIRES ARE NO LONGER ALLOWED THIS SUMMER. Check HERE for updates should conditions improve.
• 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.

WHAT TO DO:

• 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. 
• For everyone: 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 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.

Blue skies and dry conditions are part of the magic of Pacific Northwest summers, but we as a community need to embrace smart and thoughtful decision making about the way we work and live in the islands. Don’t be the one to start a fire.