2016 Washington wildfires

The 2016 Washington wildfires season were a series of wildfires in the U.S. state of Washington, notable because of brush fires near the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, and because of brush fires near Spokane, Washington.

2016 Washington wildfires
Statistics
Total fires1,272
Total area293,717 acres (118,863 ha)
Cost$39,667,371.00
Deaths0
Season
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During the summer of 2016 (in July and August particularly during the Range 12 fire), there was grave concern about the fires in eastern Washington due to the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Benton County, Washington, and about rare and endangered species that may have been affected by the fire.[1] [2][3][4] Also of concern were the sheep and cattle killed during the fire.[5][6][7]

Range 12 fire
main: Range 12 fire

The Range 12 fire was started on July 31 and quickly grew to over 177,000 acres (72,000 ha), covering parts of Benton county and Yakima county, before being contained in August.[8] The fire was the third in recent years to affect the area surrounding the Hanford Reach National Monument and the Arid Lands Ecology Reserve, but was contained during the earlier days of August through the use of controlled burns.[9]

Other fires

In late July, two fires in eastern Yakima County and southern Grant County burned more than 1,500 acres (610 ha) before being contained.[10]

In August, the area surrounding Spokane, the state's second largest city, was threatened with three active wildfires.

In late August, Wellesley and Yale fires merged to form the Spokane Complex Fire. Mandatory evacuations were ordered for residents in the Moccasin Bay area of Spangle.[11] By August 22, fires in Spokane County had destroyed 10 homes.[12] The Hart Road Fire in nearby Lincoln County grew to more than 1,600 acres (650 ha) and triggered the evacuation of nearby residents, and destroyed 11 homes.[13][14]

A series of lightning strike fires in the Olympic Mountains were visible from the Seattle area and lowered air quality to "moderate" levels as rated by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.[15]

On August 23, Governor Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency in 20 of Washington's 39 counties, mostly in Eastern Washington, citing limited local firefighting resources.[16] Inslee blamed ongoing climate change for creating "explosive conditions" in the state's forests and wild lands, fueling stronger wildfires in recent years.[17]

Another pair of lightning strike fires in the Glacier Peak Wilderness created hazy conditions over Wenatchee to the east.[18]

List of notable fires
Name County Acres Start Date Contained Date Cause Notes
Buck CreekChelan1,987July 22, 2016Lightning
Deep NorthStevens617August 21, 2016Unknown
HartLincoln18,220August 20, 2016Unknown
Olympic National Park firesJefferson955LightningConsisted of four fires: Cox Valley, Godkin, Hayes, and Ignar Creek
Range 12Yakima, Benton176,600July 30, 2016August 5, 2016Unknown
Snake RiverGarfield11,452August 2, 2016August 7, 2016Unknown
Spokane ComplexSpokane7,251August 21, 2016UnknownFormed out of Wellesley and Yale Road fires

References
  1. University of Washington. "Monitoring Impacts to Rare Plant Populations from Range 12 Fire - UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON". Remote Sensing. USDA. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  2. "Range 12 Fire: 90 percent contained,176,000 acres burned in Yakima, Benton Counties". KIMA-TV. 2016-08-02. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  3. "Range 12 Fire Map: Officials say 70,000 acres burning in Yakima, Benton Counties". KEPR-TV. 2016-08-01. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  4. Jacobs, R.A. (2022). Nuclear Bodies: The Global Hibakusha. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300230338. In the summer of 2016, numerous large wildfires threatened to spread across the Hanford Reservation. Most concerning was the Range 12 fire that spread from Grant and Yakima Counties into Benton County, where the sprawling nuclear site is located. The fire threatened to summit Rattlesnake Mountain and spread into the Hanford Nuclear Site itself.
  5. "$15M lawsuit filed over wildfire that threatened Hanford". Tri-City Herald. January 26, 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-02-03. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  6. King, Anna (September 6, 2016). "Washington State Wildfire Destroys Sensitive Habitat On National Land". WBUR-FM / Northwest News Network. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  7. "Yakima area wildfire is 90 percent contained". Seattle Times. 2016-08-04. Archived from the original on 2016-08-06. Retrieved 2022-04-24. Yakima Herald-Republic
  8. "Range 12 fire 90% contained, 176,600 acres of Yakima, Benton counties scorched". Yakima Herald-Republic. August 3, 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  9. Cary, Annette (August 6, 2016). "Time needed for ravaged Hanford monument ecosystem to recover from third fire". Tri-City Herald. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  10. Miller, Ryan (July 29, 2016). "Two East Valley fires strain firefighters". Yakima Herald-Republic. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  11. "At least 16 homes destroyed in Eastern Washington wildfires". KIRO 7 News. August 22, 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  12. Vergara, Matt; Clark, Bre; Loukides, Kaitlin (August 22, 2016). "Spokane Co. fires destroy 12 homes". KREM 2 News. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  13. Alexander, Rachel (August 21, 2016). "Fire near Davenport grows to 1,600 acres". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  14. Geranios, Nicholas K. (August 22, 2016). "Wildfires in Spokane region grow, destroy more than a dozen homes". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  15. Whittenberg, Jake (August 22, 2016). "Olympic Forest wildfires making smoky skies in Western Washington". KING 5 News. Archived from the original on August 23, 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  16. "Inslee declares emergency in 20 counties due to multiple wildfires, extreme fire conditions" (Press release). Governor of Washington. August 23, 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  17. "Inslee declares emergency in 20 counties due to wildfires". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. August 23, 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  18. Riggs, Dee (August 23, 2016). "Haze likely coming from fire Buck Creek Fire". Wenatchee World. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
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