Debbie Cockrell: Residents of Tehaleh near Bonney Lake keep wary eye on wildfire battle

News Tribune (Tacoma, WA)

Sep. 9--This week so far has seen Pierce County residents quickly learning the difference in evacuation levels, with neighborhoods in East Pierce County keeping a close watch on the Sumner Grade fire.

Tehaleh, the area's largest planned community, is no exception.

Diane Valdés Tomasevich, a Tehaleh resident, said neighbors have been helping keep each other informed of the the fire's status and progression.

"We have a person who posts drone photos to give us perspective of where we are in relation to the fire. I think I would describe people as being cautious and concerned," she told The News Tribune in response to questions via Facebook Messenger.

Adding to the worry, the loss off power and closed-off roads in the vicinity.

Christina Groven, who owns Tails Pet Resort in Tehaleh, said a few people already left the neighborhood, more for the lack of power and internet and deteriorating air quality than for any immediate fire threat.

"We have a really nice lookout from one of our trails, from there we could see the smoke from the fire near Sky Island, but we could also see that quite a bit of distance between the fire and Tehaleh," Groven said.

The neighborhood was without power for nearly 24 hours, restored eventually Tuesday evening.

"We were ready to load up all the pets and evacuate if the fire came closer to us," she told The News Tribune via Facebook Messenger. "We had under 10 pets here yesterday."

As Pierce County declared a state of emergency Tuesday in its battle against wildfires, it's worth noting how the risk of fire, along with the landscape itself, has changed in the past decade.

Insurance and FEMA data show that Washington state had seven wildfires between 1980 to 1999 compared with 129 wildfires between 2000 to 2019. The uptick put it in the top 10 of states seeing the most damage with 169,742 acres burned in 2019.

In comparison, the state saw an estimated 330,000 acres burned on Monday alone, putting the spotlight again on area emergency services.

In 2017, Tehaleh transferred 3.3 acres for a new fire station to East Pierce Fire & Rescue. In 2018, voters in King and Pierce counties served by East Pierce Fire approved an $80 million capital bond issue to fund the construction of five fire stations, including the one for Tehaleh and to upgrade emergency vehicles.

It was the first time East Pierce Fire had prepared a bond since its formation in 2000.

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