OLYMPIA, Wash. - Gov. Chris Gregoire has officially recognized the wildfire problem in Eastern Washington.
She declared a State of Emergency for all counties east of the Cascades on Friday morning.
The declaration will deploy more state resources to help firefighters working to contain the wildfires burning across the east side of the state. Those resources include air support from Washington’s National Guard.
In a press release Gregoire said, “This is one of the worst fire situations that I can recall during my time as governor. Firefighters have done a tremendous job to keep people safe, and keep the number of homes lost to a minimum. But they need more resources – especially as we expect weather conditions to remain less than favorable.”
Gregoire also noted that the multiple fires “currently threaten over 500 homes, resulting in numerous evacuations,” and may result in additional damage to other homes, infrastructure, natural resources, and businesses. She also added that, “the availability of firefighting resources throughout the state and neighboring states is extremely limited due to existing and projected firefighting efforts throughout the region.
