Recreation East of the Cascades CLOSED Due to High Fire Danger

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced that it is closing all of the lands it manages east of the Cascades to recreation due to high fire danger. The closure will last at least through Friday, and DNR staff will evaluate the possibility of extending it as the week unfolds.

With blustery conditions expected all week, the risk for wildfire remains extreme. Hot, dry and fast, the extremely dangerous winds cause fire spread to behave in unpredictable ways which leave firefighters struggling to control or contain the flames.

The overwhelming majority of the new fires sparking yesterday were human caused.

Commissioner Franz continued, "With more than 300,000 acres burning since Monday, this remains a very volatile and dangerous situation, Because of the scale of these fires, our state's resources are fully deployed. We are holding nothing back. But that means we must take every possible precaution to prevent new fires from being started, that's why we've taken action."