Thousands of firefighters are on the ground in our region, trying to control wildfires that have already consumed hundreds of thousands of acres. They battle raging flames, haze that affects their visibility and air quality, and now, spiking COVID-19 cases. KLCC reporter Brian Bull has been entrenched with the men and women on the fire lines in the Pacific Northwest this season.
- PUB DATE: 8/25/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KUOW-FM 94.9 Seattle

Firefighters were called Tuesday afternoon to extinguish a series of blazes that broke out on the side of Interstate 5 in North Seattle after a motorhome caught fire and ignited the surrounding brush, authorities said. The fire occurred around 1 p.m. on the northbound side of I-5 near the Northgate Avenue exit, and live video from state Department of Transportation cameras showed active flames as vehicles traveled past on the freeway.
- PUB DATE: 8/25/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 Seattle

Cooler weather and higher humidity is helping firefighters make progress in fighting the Schneider Springs Fire burning northwest of Naches, which is now at 68,183 acres and 3% contained. “All of our containment depends on the fire behavior and the weather,” said Jacob Welsh, public information officer for the Schneider Springs Fire.
- PUB DATE: 8/25/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KVEW-TV ABC 42 Kennewick/KAPP-TV ABC 35 Yakima

Spokane Valley Fire Department Chief Bryan Collins will retire March 1 after what will be nine years as the department’s leader, according to an SVFD news release. Collins and the Board of Fire Commissioners will conduct a search process that will ultimately lead to the selection of the next fire chief.
- PUB DATE: 8/24/2021 11:31:26 PM - SOURCE: Spokane Spokesman-Review - Metered Site

Cambria Township Volunteer Fire Company will have an upgrade to its fire station, reports Altoona Mirror.

First responders broke ground for a 4,900-square-foot addition to the current fire station. Improving the fire station is 25 years in the making. The current fire station was built in 1972. Small renovations and additions were made in the 1990s.

The new facility will cost the fire department $643,000, with the entirety of the project being funded in-house.

The current station has just two bay doors, but the department has four working pieces of apparatus that are crammed inside.