Gov. Inslee Urges Cooperation Amid Pioneer Fire

Gov. Jay Inslee has an urgent message for the region.

Amid the ongoing distress in Stehekin, Inslee is calling for cooperation and compliance with evacuation orders.

"We all know how dangerous the situation is up in Stehekin right now - it's an incredibly dangerous fire," Inslee tells KPQ. "The conditions that the firefighters are facing - the humidity, the dry conditions - it's just an explosive situation."

"The emergency personnel have issued a Level 3 evacuation order, which means go. You really need to leave your home. That's really an important thing - I know it's very hard to do that because it's your home. You really want to protect it."

"But it's important for two reasons: one, your life is at risk. When these firefighters make a decision, they're not kidding; your life is at risk. We lost a guy trying to protect his home in Medical Lake a few months ago because he didn't listen."

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"And number two, people need to know that when you follow these evacuation orders, you're really helping the firefighters. They can then concentrate on the fire line instead of just the individual homeowners."

"So if you follow these evacuation orders, you're really helping the firefighting effort. I hope people will listen to this order - let's work together to save lives. It's our number one priority."

"The hearts of Washington are in Stehekin. And it's not alone; we've got Colville too. But life is what counts here. We've got pros out there busting their backs, fighting these fires right now. Let's help them out a little bit by cooperating with them."