Site Logo

Trail reopens after fire on Stillaguamish River near Arlington

Published 1:30 am Thursday, August 25, 2016

By Eric Stevick

ARLINGTON — It seemed an odd and inconvenient place for a fire.

State and city firefighters have extinguished a blaze in a logjam beneath the Haller Bridge on the Stillaguamish River.

Snohomish County park rangers closed the Centennial Trail near Arlington on Thursday morning. The trail, a popular spot for walking, jogging and cycling, was reopened later in the day.

A structural engineer with the county public works department was called to inspect the bridge.

“There was a lot of heat,” said Tom Teigen, the Snohomish County parks director. “We want to err on the side of caution.”

Fire crews will watch over the site well into Friday.

“We will be monitoring this … through tomorrow,” said Janet Pearce, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Natural Resources. “We have got to make sure it doesn’t go anywhere else. That’s our priority.”

The concern is the fire could jump across the river and spread if the wind picks up, Pearce said.

The fire was in a 40 by 150 foot collection of logs and branches piled up by the river.

It was reported around 8:15 a.m. Thursday.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but chances are it was started by people rather than nature, officials said.

During a six-day stretch that ended earlier this week, DNR firefighters responded to 82 wildfire starts around the state. Investigators believe all but two of those were likely started by humans.

The agency is urging caution with the hot windy weather in the forecast for the weekend.

Last week, DNR instituted a full burn ban, which forbids outdoor burning, including campfires, on lands under the agency’s fire protection. An outdoor burn ban also is in place for unincorporated Snohomish County until there is sustained rainfall, except for those who use certain metal or concrete fire pits. People who live in city limits should check with their fire departments. Some local cities, including Mukilteo, have their own burn bans in effect.

You Might Like