Publication Date July 4, 2015 | Los Angeles Times

Washington's wildfire season gets off to an early, unprecedented start

United States
U.S. Forest Service firefighters cut brush near houses in northern Wenatchee, Wash. (Don Seabrook / Wenatchee World)
U.S. Forest Service firefighters cut brush near houses in northern Wenatchee, Wash. (Don Seabrook / Wenatchee World)

The Pacific Northwest has long been a magnet for California transplants, but none have been more fearsome than the most recent arrival: the Golden State-style wildfire. The timing couldn't be worse. The snow pack is gone. Heat records are being broken statewide. More than three-quarters of Washington's rivers and streams are running at below-normal levels, nearly half of them at record lows. Trees and grasses — wildfire's favorite fuel — are as dry throughout the state as they normally would be in August.