A recent article in the New York Times (Washington State Braces for ‘Inevitable’ Megafire) spoke to the issue of “megafire” especially with respect to Western Washington. 

“It used to be that it really wasn’t until mid-August that fuels dried out in Western Washington,” said Derek Churchill, a forest health scientist at the Washington Department of Natural Resources. “Now it’s July or earlier.”

That statement brought to mind a recent and potentially catastrophic incident here in Bellingham in mid-July on Samish Ridge, a forested area in the Samish Neighborhood that is tucked next to single family residences.

Playing With Fire

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Two vigilant Samish Neighborhood residents placed 911 calls at about 9 p.m. on Monday, July 21st, regarding the same intentional recreational bonfire that was burning in a wooded area on Samish Ridge. One of the callers waited for the Bellingham Fire Department (BFD) fire truck to arrive at the top of Wildwood Dr. and gave the crew a description of the approximate location of the fire. Given the backdrop of sustained dry and sunny weather for several weeks leading up to this event - coupled with prevailing winds that night of 7 mph (with 13 mph gusts) - these emergency calls were indeed appropriate.

Following a Public Records request to obtain the BFD incident report, and a personal visit to speak with the firefighters who responded to this incident, I was able to reconstruct in large measure what happened that evening. Thanks to those citizens willing to make their calls, and the subsequent BFD response, the evening ended without an out-of-control fire in an area with a sizable amount of very dry & dead wood fuel.

After speaking with numerous neighbors in Samish Heights (nearest this trail), it became obvious this type of incident is, unfortunately, not a rare event. There was evidence - in various clearings and along the side of the meandering trail - of other older bonfires along the ridge top. So it appeared that, once again, we had dodged a bullet. Yet very few in the community are even aware this is happening.

Excerpt from the BFD Incident report (the full report can be found at FILES below):

Bellingham Fire Department Response Record

Alarm:       07/21/2025  21:05

Arrival:      07/21/2025  21:17

Last Unit Cleared:     07/21/2025  21:54

Primary Narrative:

Dispatch - E3 was dispatched to a outside fire (dispatched from BFD Station 3).

Arrival - On arrival, we found no signs of a fire but was met by the reporting party who informed us that the fire was up the trail.

Actions - Investigate, extinguish, inform.

Investigation - We found a large fire pit approximately ¼ mile up the trail. Several teenage boys were standing around a burning pallet and a log watching the sunset. The fire was close to the bushes. The young men did not have any means of extinguishing the fire.

Disposition - E3 extinguished the fire and informed the group of the significant fire risk with sustained wind and no way to prevent fire spread. E3 cleared, the group was going to remain on scene and ensure that the fire did not rekindle.

Responsible party - REDACTED

E3 Captain McDonald

For those who might be familiar with the trails above the Wildwood Hills and Samish Heights developments, the most recent fire pit was located near the small clearing with a mounted bench for viewing the west hills of Bellingham, the Bay, the nearby islands, and beyond.

Playing With Fire

East side of Bellingham, above 40th Street are Wildwood and Whitewater Drives.

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Much of the surrounding property is privately-owned, but it is within the Bellingham Urban Growth Area (UGA) - county land that has been ear-marked for annexation and is intended for future city growth and development. In an effort to better understand the dynamics and management of these forested areas, I reached out to two City Council members, Anderson and Lilliquist, whose wards include the Samish Neighborhood. I fielded a response from Council Member Anderson. She outlined programs in place (e.g. Whatcom Conservation District free Wildfire Risk Assessments, begun in 2024) that are just beginning to educate residents and provide risk mitigation advice; meanwhile, BFD has been focused on significant purchases of appropriate fire gear for BFD personnel that is more suitable for protection when fighting wildfires at the rural/urban interface.

During several discussions with BFD personnel I learned there are several issues at play here. The primary question is about jurisdictional responsibility for an immediate firefighting response. Most of these areas are so close to the city/county lines, it’s difficult to determine who has jurisdiction. Are these fire calls the City’s responsibility or the County’s? Is it reasonable to use the City’s firefighting assets and equipment to protect nearby residences, when these bonfires may be, technically, in the county?

I also spoke with one of the BFD inspectors, who provided an interesting idea from his experience with both wildland and urban firefighting in California.  Firefighters in California have been authorized for many years to issue citations and fines on the spot, as they are in the best position to assess the situation and determine violations and culpability.  Further legal research is needed to determine if Washington firefighters have such similar authority.

It would seem worthwhile, given the mounting fire dangers and the city’s interest in the land as an UGA, to devise some pragmatic ways to prevent, or at least reduce the likelihood of recreational fires in these wooded areas. Such fires could lead to severe damage of this forested environment and could ignite forest fires to the west and south of us, not to mention the potential damage to nearby homes, bodily injury, or even loss of life. 

Further reading on the overall  topic of fire risks in Whatcom County and Bellingham can be had here:  "Wildfire protection plan in Whatcom still lacking, county just starting process."