Bainbridge Island Fire Marshal Luke Carpenter said rising summer
temperatures have dramatically increased the danger of wildfires on
the island.
Currently, the fire danger is “moderate” – which could be
raised if temperatures stay high and rain continues to not fall in
the near future.
Currently, only recreational fires are allowed on Bainbridge.
Carpenter’s guidelines for recreational fires include:
– Fires may not be larger than 3 feet in diameter.
– Only dry, natural fire wood may be burned.
– Fires should not be closer than 25 feet to combustible
structures such as houses, fences and sheds.
– A garden hose should be kept handy to extinguish a fire
after people are done with it.
– Watch for sparks and embers blowing in the wind.
– An adult should be present at all times.
– Extinguish all fires before leaving a site.
“People don’t realize we have a potential wildfire problem on
the island,” Bainbridge Fire Chief Hank Teran said recently. “If we
have dry climate and proper fuel conditions we can have significant
potential to have a wildfire. Since 1989, we average between 10-30
wildfires in a calendar year and we’ve been very fortunate they’ve
been contained.”
For more information, visit the Bainbridge Island Fire
Department’s website at www.bifd.org
or contact the fire marshal’s office at 206-451-2033.
City officials are
calling Rockaway Beach residents to ask them to reduce water use,
specifically landscape irrigation.
