2022 Washington wildfires

The 2022 Washington wildfire season officially began in March 2022. As of August 4, 2022, there have been four large wildfires that have burned 30,800 acres (12,500 ha) across the US state of Washington. This season started quieter than normal due to unusually colder weather that kept Eastern and Southeastern Washington burning index's largely below normal into July.[1] As of October 2022, a total of 140,000 acres (57,000 ha) of land in the state was burned – the fewest number of acres burned since 2012.[2]

2022 Washington wildfires
High-Resolution satellite imagery across Western Washington in mid-October.
Statistics
Date(s)March 2022–December 2022
Deaths0
Season
← 2021
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Season narrative

Monsoon-driven thunderstorm activity started several wildfires in August.[3][4] One of these located south of Lind in Adams County was ignited on the morning of August 4 and grew to more than 2,000 acres (810 ha). It resulted in 10 homes burned and the evacuation of the town.[5]

Smoke from the Cedar Creek Fire in central Oregon moved into Southwest Washington then the Puget Sound region on September 10;[6] on that day Seattle recorded the worst air quality of any major city in the world.[7]

The Bolt Creek Fire, a human-caused[8] wildfire on the western slopes of the Cascades September 10–11,[6] caused the closure of U.S. Highway 2 for over a week in September, and the evacuation of Skykomish, Washington.[9][10] By early October the fire was 36 percent contained and continuing to spread northwards into the Wild Sky Wilderness, causing poor air quality in western Washington.[11][12] Highway 2 was closed again on October 5 and 9–10 to remove burned trees threatening road safety, and intermittent closures were expected to continue later in October.[13][14][15]

On the weekend of October 15–16, easterly winds over the Cascades brought dry, subsiding air and record temperatures to the Puget Sound area. The weather conditions contributed to the initiation and expansion of fires on the west slopes of the Cascades,[16] and the worst air quality of the season so far occurred in Seattle that weekend.[17] Fires included the Nakia Creek Fire in Southwest Washington and one on private timberland near Loch Katrine in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness 30 miles east of Seattle.[18][19] Flames from the Loch Katrine fire could be seen from Seattle.[20]

On October 18 and 19, due to wildfire smoke, Seattle had the worst air quality of any major city in the world.[21]

List of wildfires

The following is a list of fires that burned more than 1,000 acres (400 hectares), produced significant structural damage or casualties, or were otherwise notable. It may not be complete or reflect the most recent information. Costs are in 2022 USD.[22]

Name County Acres Start date Containment date Notes Ref
Goat Rocks 3,600+ August 8, 2022 Caused by lightning; $19.4 million to suppress [23][24]
White River 14,442[25] August 11, 2022 Caused by lightning; $19.3 million to suppress [26]
Bolt Creek King, Snohomish 14,820 September 10, 2022 Human-caused; $15 million to suppress [27]
Minnow Ridge Chelan 5,350 September 10, 2022 Unknown cause; The National Centers for Environmental Information reported it caused $115 million (2023 USD) in property damage. [28][29]
Nakia Creek Clark 1,918 October 9, 2022 Human-caused; $6.8 million to suppress

Further reading
  • "Pacific Northwest wakes up to smoke-filled skies, poor air quality from raging wildfires". Fox Weather. September 10, 2022 – via MSN.
  • LISA STIFFLER (October 10, 2022). "Seattle's record-setting warm and dry weather is both random and a dress rehearsal, experts say". Geekwire.

References
  1. "Washington's quiet wildfire season unlikely to last as heat wave approaches". The Seattle Times. July 23, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  2. Oxley, Dyer (October 7, 2022). "Wildfire season gave Washington a break in 2022". KUOW. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  3. Ingalls, Mark (August 2, 2022). "Monsoon moisture moderated highs in the Columbia Basin on Sunday and Monday". Ingalls Weather. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  4. O'Cain, Pete (August 12, 2022). "Lightning causes dozen fires in Chelan County's national forest". The Wenatchee World. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  5. Delay, Haven; Weber, Christopher (August 4, 2022). "Washington town told to leave due to wildfire, homes lost". Portland Press Herald.
  6. Cliff Mass (September 10, 2022). "Major New Fire near Stevens Pass Sending Smoke into the North Sound". Cliff Mass weather blog. To the south, the large Cedar Creek Fire in the central Oregon Cascades has spread smoke northwest towards the Long Beach Peninsula. That smoke will move northward over central Puget Sound by dinnertime.
  7. "Seattle's air quality is worst among major cities in the world". Seattle: KING-TV. September 10, 2022.
  8. Groover, Heidi (October 1, 2022). "Bolt Creek fire was 'human-caused'; smoke drifts over Seattle again". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  9. Adel Toay (September 10, 2022). "Mandatory evacuation ordered due to Bolt Creek Fire, US 2 closed for weekend between Index, Skykomish". Seattle: KING-TV.
  10. "Fire near Skykomish 79% contained, Highway 2 still closed". Associated Press. September 19, 2022.
  11. "Improved air quality on the way to western Washington". MyNorthwest.com. October 3, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  12. "'Human-caused' Bolt Creek Fire is now 36% contained, nears 12,500 acres". king5.com. October 2, 2022.
  13. "US 2 closing Wednesday to remove burned trees above highway in Bolt Creek Fire". Tacoma: KCPQ. October 5, 2022.
  14. Emily Frint (October 9, 2022). "US-2 near Stevens Pass closes again amid Bolt Creek Fire". Spokane: KHQ-TV.
  15. Kipp Robertson (October 11, 2022). "Why does US 2 keep closing? Road closures are expected to continue due to hazards near the highway as the fire burns between Index and Skykomish". KING-TV.
  16. Cliff Mass (October 16, 2022). "Wildfires and temperatures surge". Cliff Mass weather blog.
  17. Jennifer Gray (October 18, 2022). "Seattle, a city known for rain, has received barely a drop since early June". CNN – via MSN. The six large fires burning just to the east of Seattle created the worst air quality of the season over the weekend, said [NWS meteorologist Maddie] Kristell.
  18. "Crews battle Loch Katrine Fire in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest". KIRO-TV. October 16, 2022.
  19. "Seattle breaks heat record as wildfires and smoke spread". October 16, 2022.
  20. "WEST SEATTLE SMOKE: Not just from one fire". West Seattle Blog. October 16, 2022.
  21. "Seattle has worst air quality in world for second day in a row". KIRO-TV. October 20, 2022.
  22. "NWCC 2022 Large Incidents Year-to-Date (ICS-209)" (PDF). Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. November 4, 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  23. Salahieh, Nouran (October 17, 2022). "Nakia Creek Fire explodes amid powerful winds, forcing thousands of evacuations in Washington state". CNN. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  24. "Goat Rocks Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  25. Hansen, Chris (November 1, 2022). "Bolt Creek, White River Fires Not Out Yet". KPQ. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  26. Salahieh, Nouran (October 17, 2022). "Nakia Creek Fire explodes amid powerful winds, forcing thousands of evacuations in Washington state". CNN. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  27. "Bolt Creek Fire declared economic injury disaster; applications open for low-interest disaster loans". KIRO-TV. December 5, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  28. "Storm Event Database - Minnow Ridge Fire". National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  29. "Washington fire update for Sept. 28". Columbia Basin Herald. September 28, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
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