Commissioner Upthegrove Requested Guard Support and Governor Ferguson Approved The Deployment of 110 National Guard Members

information released; DNR wildfire file photo

Washington is currently experiencing a challenging wildfire season that has caused destruction across the state. Currently there are 10 large fires in Washington totaling more than 200,000 acres. Already this year more than 1,000 fires have burned some 425,000 acres, already the most acres burned since 2021.

Extreme fire weather is forecast for this weekend and next week with the potential to spark new, dangerous fires across the state.

Large fires are also burning across Oregon and Canada, as well as many other western and Great Lakes states. Crews and other resources, including incident management teams across the country, are stretched. There are months to go this fire season, and Washington is facing critical weather and fuels conditions. To ensure that the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has what’s needed to protect communities across the state, Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove requested support from the Washington State National Guard. Governor Ferguson approved this request, and the National Guard will supply 110 members to support operations across the state, in addition to the 27 helicopter crew members who were activated earlier in July.

“The Washington National Guard are great partners – I appreciate the Governor’s approval and the quick deployment,” said Commissioner Upthegrove. “The National Guard members will operate as hand crews, supplementing the teams that have been fighting fires for months. With resources stretched across the continent, this support from the National Guard will be invaluable to our efforts to protect us from wildfires this season.”

“We are deeply grateful to all the firefighters working hard to battle these devastating wildfires,” Governor Bob Ferguson said. “Thank you to our Washington National Guard members for stepping up to support this work. Our state will work together to keep our communities safe.”

DNR and the Guard prepare for this possibility each year, training together and prepping equipment for possible deployment. The National Guard has already provided aerial support this fire season, sending three helicopter crews to fires earlier in July. With the dangerous fire conditions across the country this year, incident management teams, aircraft, and other resources are deployed across the country – the deployment of the National Guard comes at a critical time.

“This is a mission we train for long before wildfire season arrives, so when we get the call from our partners at the Department of Natural Resources, we’re ready to go,” said Maj. Gen. Gent Welsh, commander of the Washington National Guard. “I’m incredibly proud of these men and women who have stepped forward to support this mission and am confident they’ll bring hard work and professionalism to the fire line. They’re taking on demanding, dangerous work to protect our communities, and I hope everyone will do their part to keep them, and everyone working around the clock to fight these fires, as safe as possible.”

DNR also took the step to activate its Ready Reserve program in which non-wildland fire staff with certain qualifications are deployed to fires. The agency’s coordinating center is currently reaching out to those employees who have the necessary qualifications.

“I am deeply appreciative of our wildland fire team and our partners for their response in incredibly challenging conditions, and for those Ready Reserve employees who are joining in this year,” said Commissioner Upthegrove. “I’m also reminding everyone that we all have a role to play in protecting communities from wildfires. We can support our firefighters and the Guard by being fire safe, following burn bans, and heeding request from emergency responders. Please, this year, be one less spark.”

For more information about wildfires, please visit DNR’s Wildfire Portal, Wildfire Portal | Department of Natural Resources