WA declares emergency over Walla Walla drinking water threatened by fire

WA declares emergency over Walla Walla drinking water threatened by fire

Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a state of emergency Friday over threats to Walla Walla’s drinking water supply from the Paradise fire burning in the city’s watershed.The Paradise fire began with a lightning strike July 16 in Oregon before spreading into Washington. The fire has burned more than 12.5 square miles across Walla Walla and Columbia counties — about one-third of the area in the Mill Creek Watershed — which provides the vast majority of th…

Ferguson declares emergency over Walla Walla wildfire risks

WALLA WALLA – Governor Bob Ferguson has declared a state of emergency in Walla Walla County as the Paradise Fire impacts the Mill Creek Watershed, which approximately 35,000 residents rely on for drinking water. Today’s (Friday) declaration comes just two days after the governor visited the Paradise Fire incident command center at Walla Walla Community College for a briefing. “The impacts from wildfires do not end when the flames go out,” Fergus…