Wildfire Hazards In Spokane County

Likely the greatest hazard to the greater Spokane, Washington area is wildfire. While the risk to human life is low a wildfires economic cost and the risk of property force this hazard high on the Hazard Vulnerability Analysis’s impact category. The Spokane area is comprised several diverse ecosystems all with different fuels, terrain and weather all impacting the occurrence of fire and the characteristics of a wildfire. Additionally Spokane and the surrounding areas all possess a heavy buildup of dead and decaying vegetation serving as fuel for a wildfire. Spokane County has a Community Wildfire Protection Plan in place, this document serves to address issues such as wildfire response, wildfire mitigation, community wildfire fire readiness, and the protection of structures.
The most common hazard seen in the Greater Spokane area is severe weather. Severe weather commonly seen in the area includes ice storms, high winds and thunder and lightning storms sometimes creating wildfires. The response to severe weather depends on severity, location and type of event. During a recent windstorm it was advised that all residents prepare for widespread power outages, due to the Spokane area having a significant amount of its power lines exposed above ground. Many …show more content…
Helens. With the prevailing winds in the Spokane area coming from the west and traveling east during an eruption massive amounts of ash would likely cover the area. After the 1980 eruption of Mont St. Helens is was estimated that the economic and property losses exceeded $1 billion. Additionally the eruption forced the closing of Interstate 90 the main east to west highway in the area to shut down for a week and closed Spokane International Airport for 2 weeks. During the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens the response was to completely evacuate the area surrounding the volcano and to advise individuals with respiratory issues to stay indoors as much as