Pierce County declares state of emergency to get help fighting wildfires
Pierce County has declared a state of emergency to allocate more resources to fighting the wildfires.
County Executive Bruce Dammeier signed the declaration Tuesday afternoon to allow for more help from other counties and the state. Firefighters and engines have come from Kitsap County, Kirkland and the state is offering command resources and helicopters.
The state of emergency also allows the county to move quicker in allocating needed resources and money, rather than following normal bureaucratic procedures.
“It allows us to move more nimbly,” Dammeier said.
When the fires jumped state Route 410 toward homes, Dammeier said he decided to declare a state emergency.
“It looked like it was going to be contained, and then the wind picked up,” he said. “It was the magnitude that we had multiple fires that were threatening homes. That’s where we said we need to be ready to move quickly and support fire efforts throughout the county.”
Overnight, an 150-acre wildfire spread across Bonney Lake and Sumner, destroying at least four homes and forcing hundreds to evacuate. Dammeier said the Graham wildfire that burned more than 100 acres is contained. A fire in Tacoma’s Wapato Hills Park was 80 percent contained as of 7 a.m.
There is concern that afternoon wind might create another surge in the Sumner and Bonney Lake wildfire, the county executive said. The fire is burning in vegetation and trees on a steep hillside without any access points, making it difficult to fight.
Several areas across the state have seen wildfires this week. Dammeier believes federal resources will remain focused on helping respond to Eastern Washington, where more than 500,000 acres have burned.
“While this is a big fire for us and threatened structures and suburban parts of our community, it’s not like the hundreds of thousands of acres burning over there. It’s different,” he said.
Dammeier commended the emergency response for fighting the fires back and evacuating residents successfully. No one has been reported injured.
“Our fire teams and their coordination and action have been doing a great job,” he said. “It’s a challenging time and we have a lot of people stepping up to help out.”
This story was originally published September 9, 2020 at 10:22 AM.
