Page 6 - aruba-today-20190806

A6 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 6 augusT 2019

U.S. Northwest towns ‘woefully unprepared’ as fire risk grows

By TOM JAMES found that just six counties
Associated Press along the western foot-
ISSAQUAH, Wash. (AP) — hills of Washington’s Cas-
Nestled in the foothills of cade mountains host more
Washington’s Cascade homes in such zones than
Mountains, the bustling all of California.
Seattle suburb of Issaquah Ray Rasker, who heads the
seems an unlikely candi- nonprofit land manage-
date for anxiety over wild- ment research group, cau-
fires. tioned the report was nar-
The region, famous for its rower than others — which
rainfall, has long escaped count development up to
major burns even as global 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers)
warming has driven an in- from any wildland — and
crease in the size and num- other types of wild areas
ber of wildfires elsewhere in are more prone to burning
the American West. than mature forests.
But according to experts, But while officials in Califor-
previously too-wet-to-burn nia and other states have
parts of the Pacific North- begun reforming forest-
west face an increasing risk edge building and land-
of significant wildfires due scaping rules, such codes
to the same phenomenon: are rare in the Northwest,
Climate change is bring- and virtually none apply to
ing higher temperatures, houses already built, said
lower humidity and longer Tim Ingalsbee, who heads
stretches of drought. In this photo taken July 24, 2019, houses are backed up to a forest in the Cascade foothills of North Firefighters United for Safety
And the region is uniquely Bend, Wash. Ethics and Ecology, an Or-
exposed to the threat, with Associated Press egon-based nonprofit that
property owners who are keeping it from going off ing even medium-sized fires reached above-normal works to update building
often less prepared for fire like a nuclear bomb is the relatively rare. levels three months earlier codes.
than those in drier places weather,” said Chris Dicus, But global warming is than at any time in more “The western slopes of the
and more homes tucked a California Polytechnic changing the region’s sea- than 10 years, driven partly Cascades and the North-
along forests than other State University, San Luis sons. A national climate by an abnormally dry win- west are just woefully un-
western states. In Issaquah Obispo professor and head assessment prepared by ter. prepared,” Ingalsbee said.
and towns like it across the of the Association for Fire 13 federal agencies and And fire counts are up: As Wildfires get harder to
region, that takes a shape Ecology, a national group released in 2018 said the of late June, western Or- fight when they penetrate
familiar from recent de- that studies wildfire. Pacific Northwest had egon forests had seen dou- neighborhoods, which
structive California wildfires: With historically short sum- warmed nearly 2 degrees ble the average number happened last year in Para-
heavy vegetation that spills mers, the densely forested Fahrenheit since 1900 and of fire starts from the pre- dise, California, where doz-
into backyards, often press- coastal territory stretching that trend would continue vious decade — 48 com- ens died and thousands of
ing against houses in neigh- from northwestern Oregon into the century, leading pared with 20. Washington homes burned.
borhoods with few escape to British Columbia has long to warmer winters and less jumped even further, with Like Paradise, Issaquah has
routes. been cloaked in a protec- mountain snowpack. 194 starts compared with neighborhoods surround-
“The only thing that’s tive veil of moisture, mak- Experts say these long-term an average of 74. ed by dense forests, some
changes create a special Even the region around with only a single road, and
4 sue to block California tax risk in Pacific Northwest Astoria, Oregon, which fre- strong seasonal winds.
forests: Even a modest in-
quently gets 100-plus rainy California’s fires were a
return law aimed at Trump crease in contributing fac- days per year, has seen a wake-up call, said Rich
tors, like days without rain, dozen small fires in 2018 Burke, deputy fire chief with
could make them much and 2019, according to the Eastside Fire Depart-
By ADAM BEAM dicial Watch announced more prone to burning. data from Oregon’s Forest- ment, which oversees fire
Associated Press Monday it had filed a law- “Those are the kinds of ry Department. That com- protection in and around Is-
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) suit last week to challenge changes that amount to pares with an average of saquah, population 39,000.
— Four California voters the law. The four plaintiffs taking a forest and push- just two per year over the Wildfire-oriented setbacks
have sued to block a new are two Republicans, one ing it over the edge,” said previous decade. and less-flammable ma-
state law aimed at forcing Democrat and one inde- Michael Medler, a fire sci- Last year, 40% of Washing- terials still aren’t written
Republican President Don- pendent. entist and chair of Western ton’s wildfires were on its into building codes on the
ald Trump to release his in- “This is a nonpartisan con- Washington University’s en- wetter western side, which city’s edges. But Burke said
come tax returns. cern about the state run- vironmental studies depart- was “alarming and a first the department now hosts
Democratic Gov. Gavin ning roughshod and at- ment. for us,” Janet Pearce, a preparedness trainings and
Newsom signed a law last tempting to amend the Exactly when any one part spokeswoman for that has four wildland fire en-
week that requires presi- Constitution on its own,” of the region will reach that state’s natural resources gines.
dential candidates to file Judicial Watch President point is hard to predict, agency, said in an email. Jason Ritchie, who owns
five years of their income Tom Fitton said. and researchers stressed The risk is amplified by a home just north of Is-
tax returns with the Cali- The Constitution requires that unknowns exist in for- development patterns saquah, said a nearby 2015
fornia secretary of state. three things of presidents: ests that have burned so throughout the Pacific fire drove home the risks.
Candidates who don’t They have to be born in infrequently in the past. But Northwest. “It grew so fast,” Richie
comply will not appear on the U.S.; must be at least all pointed to changes al- A 2013 Headwaters Eco- said, adding that he pre-
the March 3 presidential 35 and must have lived in ready taking place. nomics survey of devel- viously hadn’t considered
primary ballot. the country for at least 14 For instance, the region’s opment within 550 yards that his area has only two
The conservative group Ju- years. q fire danger this year (500 meters) of forestlands main routes out.q