Commissioner Hilary Franz reviews 2024 wildfire season, says “nature is still in charge” | News [Video]

DEER PARK, Wash. — Washington’s Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz reminded the public that Mother Nature always gets the last word when it comes to wildfires in our region.

“At the end of the day, nature is still in charge,” Franz said.

She addressed this year’s wildfire season at a press conference at the Deer Park Airbase on Friday – highlighting this year’s successes.

An increase in air resources is one of the investments Franz credits to this year’s low wildfire acreage. 44 aircrafts were instrumental in fighting wildfires in the Inland Northwest region and surrounding areas. 

This was coupled legislation that streamlined local firefighters’ response times.

She says both of these initiatives were instrumental in keeping 95 percent of this year’s fires contained under ten acres – some of the lowest acreage in a decade.

Franz says the next steps include education and outreach since 90 percent of …