The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1939-08-14
WHY We HAVE
FOREST fires
Chief Warden Cowan
Analyses Their
Many Causes
Nv c. 3. CoWAN
Chief Fire Warden. Washington
Forest Fire Association

Why do We have forest fires
in the state of Washington
How do they start? What
forces control them? What
damage is done? All these
are questions which must find
a place in the minds of our
citizens every summer.
Let us look into the office Of
the chief fire warden this morning.
The morning mail is being opened.
and certain forms are being placed
on one side. When all envelopes
have been opened, these forms
headed Preliminary Fire Reports"
are studied. From every county
in western Washington they come.
The headings enumerste definite
necessary information, such as date
fire started. cause. location. acre
age covered at time of arrival at
fire, acreage covered at time Of
report, type of land, brush, second
growth or merchantable timber,
number of men employed, and If
under control.
Prove Enlighfening
The causes this morning are en-
tightening; they form an explana-
ton of the fire problem On Aug.
Z, the state forester. acting under
his authority of law, ordered all
logging to cease for two days,
due TO the extremely dangerous
fire hazard caused by the COM
bined effects Of low relative hui
nudity and high temperatures.
Now look at the fire causes for
the first day of the closure A
40-scre fire caused by fishermen
in Grays Harbor county, three
acres Of a kids swimming hole
fire in Snohomish. land clearers'
fire and a cigaret fire, both in Cow
litz. In Clark county a farmer
set fire to his straw-burning 35
acres. Berry pichers IN Mason
county started two fires, and were
helped BY a smoker who started
still another. Skagit and What
com counties also contributed ber-
~ pickers' and smokers fires.
while an incendiary touched off
2,000-acre fire in Jefferson.
Fires from such unnecessary
causes as those enumerated are all
potential conflagrations. Fire war
dens must be organized, equipped
and trained to control such fires,
observation towers must be erect
ed and connected by telephone
with district headquarters, in or
der that the time loss between
time of discovery and the time that
control measures are instituted il
kept to minimum.
Seeds Of Careiessness
Transportation means must he
provided; axes, shovels, mattocks,
pumps and hose must be as in a
city fire brigade, all ready for
instant action. Remember, this
action Is necessitated by a COM
paratively few careless individu-
ais, yet what a harvest Of smoke
and destruction they reap from
the seeds of csrelessness.
In the main, damage is confined
to so-called brush lands" Yet 1t
is these areas which are the seed
beds of future industries, the po-
tential forest wealth of the state.
Swimmers, berry pickers. land
clesrers and smokers, burning up
the future wealth of the state and
the hard-earned taxes of the people
because the windswept banners Of
smoke across the summer sky de-
livered no personal warning or mes
sage to the casual users Of our
forest areas.
Doubly Necessary
The damage Of late years has
been to reforeststing areas, timber
losses have been held TO a minimum.
But as the future forests from
little seedlings grow. IT becomes
doubly necessary that the heritage
of green govth shall not be sseri-
feed 10 the picking Of few black
berries, to the careless thought
that a camp fire will soon 90 out,
that there is a personal deity fol-
lowing the careless tossing away
Of partly-smoked eigaret.
The future Of the state Of Wash
ngton. the continuation Of her
greatest industry. the happiness Of
her citizens, Is irreyocably bound