The winter months aren’t stopping lawmakers and elected officials from bracing for this upcoming wildfire season. House Bill 1168 is currently making its way through the Washington State Legislature.
Washington’s 2020 wildfire season was one of the most deadly and destructive on record.
“It was one of our worst seasons ever and frankly, 5 of the last 6 years have been catastrophic,” said Hilary Franz, Washington’s Commissioner of Public Lands. About 2 million homes across Washington state are at risk of wildfire danger this year, and the numbers continue to grow.
“Two of the last three fire seasons we saw 40 percent of the fires have been west of the Cascades and we are not only seeing it west of the Cascades,” said Franz, “We are seeing it in more populated areas.”
The Department of Natural Resources requested a bill to tackle the growing wildfire threat. HB1168, which is receiving bipartisan support, would devote $125 million every two years to adding more resources to the firefight.