Over half of Washington’s wildfires this year have been ignited by human activity.
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) released data Friday showing that 519 of the 846 fires the DNR has responded to this year have been sparked by humans. The main human-related cause listed by the department including debris burns. Recreational activities were found to have sparked 58 fires so far.
The data shows that 30 fires have been sparked by lightning, including the three major fires burning in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest near Mazama that have closed a portion of the North Cascades Highway. There are 170 fires listed as “undetermined” while 127 are under investigation.
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