WASHINGTON, USA — Fires sparking throughout the state have kept fire crews busy this summer.
Officials with the state's Fire Marshal's Office believe this could be just the beginning of an extended wildfire season.
"The second half is the most challenging,” said Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz. “We're heading into the most difficult we always have. And I'll tell you it's already been a very busy fire season."
It's not even August yet and the Department of Natural Resources has already had its fair share of wildfires to respond to.
"We've already had 1,000 fires to date, 80,000 acres burnt," said Franz.
The Washington Fire Marshal's Office is also reporting an early start to fire response this year, providing a helping hand to DNR crews and local fire agencies.
“Our fire season for mobilization usually starts after Father's Day, it started in May," said Gregory Baruso, the public information officer with the Fire Marshal's Office.
The Fire Marshal’s office has already responded to 150,000 burned acres throughout the state.
"But the acres are going up,” said Baruso. “When folks talk about climate change and global warming, it's here."
Franz said her biggest concern is where some of these fires are taking place. "I think one of the things that's really concerning for us is a lot of the fires we've had to date are in the west side of the state, we don't usually see that many fires this early on the west side," said Commissioner Franz.
Both agencies said they’re concerned for a potentially extended fire season. "I expect it to be a little bit warmer, we're probably going to see more still and our season doesn't stop mobilization until the first week until October, so that gives you an idea where we're at," said Baruso.