Brush fire near Arlington scorches grass and shrubs

ARLINGTON — Firefighters stopped a brush fire from growing beyond about 1.5 acres Sunday afternoon near the Grandview Recreation Center east of Arlington.

Crews with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources and North County Fire were sent to the wildfire shortly before 3:15 p.m. The fire was under control later that night.

“That’s in good shape,” DNR spokeswoman Janet Pearce said. ”We were battling a few winds, but that wasn’t a problem.”

The fire was mostly brush, grass and slash but likely didn’t torch many mature trees, she said.

It was one of four in Skagit, Snohomish and Whatcom counties Sunday, when temperatures hit the mid- and high-70s after several days of dry, warm weather. An eight-acre fire, called the Kelly Road Fire, off the Mount Baker Highway, required a helicopter crew to help put it out. Skagit County had two fires, one near Concrete that scorched about an acre and a smaller one near Anacortes.

“Things got really dry,” Pearce said. “Because we get these dry spells, we have our fire season start earlier and earlier.”

There were no injuries. No causes were determined as of Monday, and all of the fires were under investigation. But Pearce said outdoor burning is the top cause of wildfires and warned people to fully extinguish camp fires and other outdoor burns before leaving them, and to be vigilant and report potential wildfires.

“If you see smoke and you’re unsure about it, please call 911,” Pearce said. “We’d much rather have a false alarm than a growing fire.”

In the DNR’s Northwest region, which covers all of Skagit, Snohomish and Whatcom counties plus a portion of northeast King County, burning is prohibited because of dry conditions and wind. Camp fires are allowed in designated fire pits.