A recent fire is a good reminder of the importance of burn bans when the weather gets dry.
At 8:50 a.m. on Sunday, Central Whidbey Island Fire and Rescue responded to a reported brush fire alongside Smuggler’s Cove Road involving powerlines, Chief Jerry Helm said. An engine, a water tender, a brush engine and a South Whidbey Fire/EMS water tender were dispatched, along with eight responders.
Upon arrival, responders discovered a tree had partially fallen into the powerlines and ignited another one nearby, Helm said. About two minutes later, the tree entangled in the powerlines completely collapsed, likely due to age and weakness.
Personnel remained on scene for about an hour to fight the fire, which was contained to the tree and about a 30-to-40-foot radius around its base. Helm said after the initial fire attack, Fire and Rescue canceled a helicopter put on standby in case the flames “jumped” from tree to tree.
Puget Sound Energy removed tree limbs stuck in the powerlines, which were still standing despite the tree’s impact. No injuries nor damage to any property occurred.
Central Whidbey Island Fire and Rescue turned the scene over to the Department of Natural Resources once the fire had been put out. The DNR spent the next 45 minutes to an hour conducting another thorough extinguishment “just to make sure it’s not gonna go anywhere,” Helm said, typical with fires taking an hour or longer to fight.
Helm “rarely” sees fires which ignite a single, whole tree like the kind which occurred Sunday. Although the fire was unintentional, the incident demonstrates why burn bans are necessary at this time of year.
“The moisture level in the fuels is still at a dangerous level,” he said. “Even though this was not technically a recreational fire like the burn ban states, that’s exactly what it’s trying to prevent.”
A Type 2 burn ban is in effect as of July 18 banning “all outdoor burning in unincorporated Island County,” including “recreational fires that were otherwise exempt from a Type 1 burn ban,” per an Island County Sheriff’s Office release.
