Still jolted by back-to-back historically destructive fire seasons, legislators are considering several bills that aim to bolster the state’s ability to fight wildfires.
The blazes of 2014 and 2015 burned a combined 1.3 million acres and destroyed hundreds of homes across large swaths of Central and Eastern Washington.
With a budget unequal to the task, the state Department of Natural Resources had to ask the Legislature for hundreds of millions in additional dollars to cover the cost of battling the massive fires.
“The state has become a fire station,” said Rep. Kristine Lytton, D-Anacortes, who has proposed a new fee on homes in unincorporated areas to pay for fire protection. “The (state) does not have the equipment and resources to deal with these areas.”