Peninsula agencies deploy resources to Eastern Washington fires

Published 1:30 am Thursday, August 13, 2026

Firefighters from Clallam and Jefferson counties deployed to the belly of the beast as wildfire smoke from other regions cleared from the Peninsula.

Fires are continuing to burn on the east side of the state, and agencies in affected areas have requested state mobilization plans, which broadcast calls for aid to other agencies in Washington who might have the resources to help. Calls also come from the state Department of Natural Resources as well as federal agencies.

Fire Chief Greg Waters of Clallam Fire District 4 in Joyce deployed on Friday to serve as a fireline medic for the Sinlahekin Fire near Tonasket in Okanogan County. That fire, caused by lightning, is currently the largest in the state, spanning more than 150,000 acres. As of Wednesday, the fire tracking site InciWeb reported that it was 42 percent contained.

Waters said a team of four more firefighters from Clallam County Fire District 4 are on standby.

“They could deploy as wildland firefighters or with a structural fire engine or as fireline EMTs,” he said over text on Tuesday. “They are expecting a call any day now.”

Clallam County Fire District 3 in Sequim also has sent personnel to the eastside of the state this summer, as well as south to Oregon, said Caity Karapostoles, the district’s administrative assistant and financial specialist. A volunteer with District 3 has also traveled to eastern Washington to offer EMS support.

Meanwhile, a crew of three firefighters from East Jefferson Fire Rescue set out for eastern Washington on Saturday night, along with a Brush 6 engine. They are now fighting the 127,000-acre Little Giant Fire near Lake Chelan.

“There have been a lot of requests so far this year,” said Robert Wittenberg, community risk manager for East Jefferson Fire Rescue. “Our chief finally felt like he had an opportunity where he felt like there were resources he could spare without increasing the risk here in our area.”

A crew from the Brinnon Fire Department returned Saturday morning from the Skyo fire south of Mount Rainier. The following day, the department received another call and sent Lt. Jacob Ellis and Firefighter Luke Miller of Quilcene Fire Rescue to the Backbone fire.

Brinnon Fire Chief Tim Manly said fire crews typically are required to have a rest period after about two weeks of being deployed.

Wittenberg explained that it’s not unusual for personnel from the Peninsula to head east during the summer.

“Over the last couple of years, we have been able to send at least one crew during the season,” he said. “It happens when possible, but it doesn’t happen consistently. Unfortunately, we don’t have the resources to put ourselves in more of a vulnerability like that.”

The relative isolation of the Peninsula also can make the decision to deploy to other areas more difficult.

“We are looking at what our conditions are like, what our staffing is like, and what our mutual aid opportunities are,” Wittenberg said. “If a fire were to start here in our area, do we have enough resources plus some additional mutual aid from our neighbor partners to be able to manage that? That’s a decision the chief gets to make.”

A staff member from EJFR also has deployed to Okanogan to work with the financial team on the Sinlahekin fire.

“On any kind of large incident like that, not only are there firefighters, but there’s also a whole incident command system that manages planning and logistics and finance and measures all that,” Wittenberg said.

When a local agency sends personnel to a fire in another area, they typically are reimbursed by a state or federal agency. Fire departments also get reimbursement for any overtime they pay to staff working locally in place of someone who has been deployed elsewhere.

In the past, Peninsula fire agencies also have received help from afar.

“When we had the 2620 Road fire (in 2024), we had people here from New Mexico, from Colorado, from all over the country,” Manly said.

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Reporter Christy Carley can be reached by email at christy.carley@peninsuladailynews.com.