Washington State DNR carrying out 'prescribed burn' for the first time in years
LOOMIS, Wash. - For the first time in several years, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources will be carrying out a prescribed burn on state land, starting as early as Thursday if weather conditions permit.
The purpose of the burn is to help reduce the likelihood of catastrophic wildfires by burning brush and needles. It is also supposed to help with dense overgrowth.
DNR said the fires are controlled and monitored to make sure they don't get out of hand.
"The phrase people might hear is something called a burn prescription. And it is similar to a healthcare prescription, very trained, highly-techical professionals go out, and they examine the land, they walk the land, they map the land and determine what type of prescribed fires work for an area, if prescribed fires work for an area. And most importantly, what kind of resources they need and personnel equipment to keep it under control," Will Rubin of DNR told FOX 13.
The burn will take place in Okanogan County, near Loomis, and will cover about 260 acres of land.
Washington armed with funding, federal support to combat worsening wildfires
Millions of dollars of new funding is getting put to work to prepare for fire season here in Washington. While state leaders say this money will make a significant difference in fighting fires, they stress that this is just a start.
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