Firefighters extinguish 2-acre wildfire west of Napavine on Wednesday

Firefighters from the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Lewis County Fire District 5 responded to a 2-acre blaze off Monroe Road west of Napavine at about 1 p.m. on Wednesday.

Crews cleared the scene shortly after 3 p.m. that same day.

“It was a small fire that grew outside the capacity of the responsible party to control,” District 5 Chief Brent Adams said in an email to a Chronicle reporter on Thursday.

Five District 5 units with six personnel, as well as 15 personnel with DNR, extinguished the fire in just over two hours on Wednesday. Two District 5 members left early to respond to a medical call, District 5 reported.

Crews prevented the fire from growing by using a “wet line” while using hand tools to break up burning materials to facilitate extinguishment, according to Adams.

“With drought conditions in Western Washington, we are expecting an active wildland season and want to remind residents to be mindful of outdoor burning and follow Lewis County burning regulations,” Adams said.

District 5 reminds Lewis County residents and visitors to be cognizant of their surroundings, especially of areas with dry grass or trees, when burning outdoors and to maintain defensible space around structures.

The National Fire Protection Agencies recommends that homeowners break yards into three zones: Zone 0, an "Ember-resistant" zone that should extend 0 to 5 feet from the home; Zone 1, an “intermediate zone” where the grass should be green and shrubs trimmed, should extend 5 to 30 feet from the house; and Zone 2, a "reduced fuel zone," where trees are thinned and forest litter is cleaned up.