SPOKANE, Wash. — The Washington Department of Natural Resources issued a temporary target shooting ban on in an effort to prevent the start of new wildfires. The ban only applies to DNR managed lands.
On average, the Washington Department of Natural Resources responds to 817 wildfires per year. So far in 2018, the number of wildfires has surpassed the average with a total of 830 so far this season.
"What we're concerned about is our forests are starting to burn. It's not just the grasslands anymore. It's the forests and these fires last longer and they're harder to put out," said DNR Communications Manager Janet Pearce.
Pearce said it is for that very reason the DNR put a temporary ban on target shooting to help get a hold of the wildfires. She said the logic behind the temporary ban is because a bullet could ricochet landing on dry brush or grass and start a fire.
"Target shooting, you're shooting multiple rounds into the gravel or pits. And it could maybe even cause a fire even after you're gone," Pearce explained.
Pearce said target shooting causes an average of 22 fires every year. In fact, a few of those have happened in Central and Eastern Washington just within the last few years.
Since 2015, multiple fires have started at the Stonelodge informal shooting range. It is located off Highway 291, just north of Nine Mile Falls. According to reports, target shooting at the range started four fires in 2015. In 2016, Stevens County Fire District reported two fires caused by target shooting. In 2017, the Northeast Washington Interagency Communication Center confirms target shooters caused two more fires at the range. One of which started because someone was shooting at a fridge. In the same year, target shooting was the cause of a fire in Yakima that burned five square miles in three days. A DNR Investigation found two Yakima police officers were shooting at targets when a bullet hit a power line causing it to fall to the ground and started a fire.
"I know it's a frustration for our target shooters, but I want them to keep in mind it's only temporary," Pearce said.