‘I’ve never seen a firestorm like this.’ Chiefs take stock after Sumner Grade, Graham fires
The East Pierce County wildfires largely have been contained but not before causing lost homes and buildings and damaging utilities.
A total of seven homes were destroyed, and 16 other structures and 759 acres were burned by the Sumner Grade Fire and another in Graham.
Both started when strong winds toppled trees over power lines and transformers, also knocking out electricity to 39,000 Puget Sound Energy customers, said customer communications manager Jarret Tomalin said. Service has been restored.
The fires caused “unprecedented access issues” for the utility company, making it difficult to restore power.
“Extremely dry and windy conditions, sudden evacuations, fire-related road closures, limited access to some areas due to smoke, along with downed trees and limbs, made certain areas difficult to reach, particularly in Pierce County,” Tomalin said.
Puget Sound Energy is still assessing repair costs.
An estimated 3,800 homes were evacuated, and Pierce County Emergency Management received 3,200 calls for access to emergency resources between Labor Day and Sept. 17.
Sumner Grade
The flames traveled along state Route 410 between Sumner and Bonney Lake, ultimately scorching 484 acres.
The direction and strength of the wind were the biggest factors in the fire’s spread, East Pierce Fire & Rescue Chief Bud Backer said.
On the evening of Sept. 8, the fire jumped the highway, endangering the Sumner View development, where two homes burned. Backer said fire crews stood between the homes and the fire, extending hose lines as far as possible.
“All we could do was try and stop the forward advancements, but it’s difficult to do with the winds,” Backer said. “We were playing fire whack-a-mole.”
A change in the winds and help from state crews and those from other counties helped get the fire under control. State helicopters flew in to drop water to slow the spread of flames to populated areas. More firefighters helped relieve local crews.
The battle meant other calls for service saw fewer first responders and longer response times, Backer said. Crews took longer than usual to respond to a Sumner fire that left four mobile homes destroyed. To a brush fire, they sent a medic unit, Backer said.
As of Sept. 17, the fire was at 95 percent containment, and evacuation orders were lifted for about 3,700 homes, said Mike Halliday with Pierce County Emergency Management said.
Backer said recent wildfires have been hotter and spread more rapidly than 30 years ago. The low humidity and strong winds were a “recipe for disaster,” he said.
While he doesn’t believe this is a new normal, Backer said intense fires will happen more often.
He said he hopes that the state and county take action to hydro-seed the burned acres, which would prevent mud sliding when it rains.
“Right now, when the rains hit, there’s no root system to hold the dirt in place,” Backer said.
Graham
Downed power lines ignited dry vegetation in the El Dorado development in Graham the night of Sept. 7.
Graham Fire & Rescue’s assistant chief Steve Richards said the 15400 block of 240th Street East fire spread within minutes, pushed by dry vegetation and gusting winds.
“I’ve never seen a firestorm like this come through. It advanced too quickly,” Richards said.
At 9:45 p.m., crews responded to the initial call and remained on scene for days. Five homes burned and 275 acres were scorched. Ten outbuildings like sheds were destroyed, according to the fire department.
The fire jumped 240th Street East to continue to burn through homes.
“A little fire spark would jump 30 to 50 feet and then it would start a new fire,” Richards said.
Sixty engines responded from 14 agencies, the Graham Fire Department said.
By the 10 a.m. the next morning, the bulk of the fire was out.
The fire was largely contained by Sept 10. No injuries to humans were reported, but a horse was found burned on its legs and back and a pig went missing, Richards said.
“In the last three years, we’ve had increased fire activity, and we’ve seen more fires threatening homes,” he said.
He recommended that residents in wooded areas think about protecting their homes from fires. Keeping grass low and green, removing brush near the home, adding concrete and rock walkways and composite roofs could prevent flames from pushing up on the house, Richards said.
“Creating a defensive space will help a house survive,” he said.
