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2023 Washington wildfires
Wildfire season / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2023 Washington wildfire season officially began in March 2023 in the US state of Washington.
2023 Washington wildfires | |
---|---|
![]() The Sourdough Fire on August 4 | |
Date(s) | March 2023–present |
Statistics | |
Total fires | 1,515 |
Total area | 165,365 acres (66,921 hectares) |
Impacts | |
Deaths | 2 |
Season | |
← 2022
2024 → |
Conditions going into the season were low-risk for fire, with higher than average precipitation over the prior winter and spring.[1] Some experts anticipated a later peak, possibly into November, for the Pacific Northwest due to El Niño effects.[2]
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources planned to ignite controlled burns on over 2,100 acres (8 km2) to prevent larger fires from developing during the season.[3]
The Northwest Coordination Center upgraded the region's preparedness level (referring to the availability of firefighting resources) from PL 1 to PL 2 on July 3, PL 3 on July 23, PL 4 on August 12, and PL5—the highest level—on August 19.[4]
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources dashboard reported that 1,515 fires burned at least 146,220 acres (59,170 hectares) in Washington through August, 2024.[5]