EPHRATA – According to the Washington Department of Natural Resources, only two significant fires were burning in the state as of Wednesday afternoon. To date, Washington has had 598 wildfires reported and just less than 17,000 acres have been burned as a result. Of those, 142 fires were caused by debris burning such as in a trash pit and 116 have undetermined causes. May and June have been the busiest fire months with 121 occurring in May and 123 in June so far. May saw 191 DNR managed acres burned, while that number has jumped to 909 in June, to date.

Roza Creek: This fire located north of Yakima began June 27 and had burned about 400 acres as of Wednesday afternoon. No cause has been identified.

Silver Star: Located between Okanagan and Oroville, about five miles west of Tonasket, this fire began June 27 and had burned about 678 acres as of Wednesday afternoon.

According to the Northwest Interagency Coordinating Center which operates to assist the states of the Pacific Northwest in managing wildfires cooperatively,

The DNR reports air quality concerns for much of Eastern Washington, centered mostly around Spokane and Okanogan.

The Bureau of Land Management’s Spokane District Office issued a press release asking Washingtonians to be cautious this holiday weekend.

“While we have determined that current conditions do not warrant restricting campfires at this time, we are strongly encouraging everyone to be extra cautious with fire over the Fourth of July holiday,” said Spokane District Manager Kurt Pindel. “Paying extra attention while out enjoying your public lands will allow everyone to have a safe and enjoyable holiday.”

Tips on safe camping may be found at the BLM website located at https://bit.ly/3NrU4NX. Regulatory information regarding fires, including the penalties for starting a wildfire may be found at https://on.doi.gov/3XBXSRt.