Multiple brush fires ignite on Viking Way
(Poulsbo, Kitsap County) Poulsbo Fire Department, Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue, and Navy Region Northwest responded to multiple brush fires within the vicinity of Viking and Scandia this morning just before 11am. Four fires started within minutes of each other and were contained to between four and twenty feet in diameter. All fires were on the west side of Viking, beginning north of Scandia Road, another south of the Big Scandia Creek “dip” on Viking and still others further south on Viking before the 308 interchange. Units were on scene within six minutes of going in route. All fires were out within ten minutes. The fires are under investigation with the Kitsap County Fire Marshal.
Several citizens were out with garden hoses to extinguish the fires before fire crews arrived. Deputy Chief Thomas O’Donohue reminds people of the dangers of fighting fires without the proper protective gear; particularly uphill from a fire where fire can travel at an alarming speed. “The best protection is building what the fire department calls a ‘Defensible Space’ with little or no vegetation that readily burns,” he said.
Steps to ensure defensible space:
1) Create a 30-100’ safety zone around your home.
2) Remove dead vegetation.
3) Break up continuous vegetation.
4) Mow grass regularly.
For more information about Defensible Spaces, visit Department of Natural Resources at http://www.dnr.wa.gov .
