How does your utility district prepare for wildfire?

NEWPORT – The Pend Oreille Public Utility District (PUD) are not firefighters. That may sound obvious, but there was some clarification needed at a public forum on wildfire prevention, hosted by the PUD Thursday, May 14 at Newport High School.

An audience member asked about communications between fire districts, especially as they pertained to the Oregon Road Fire in 2023 where fire districts from Pend Oreille and Spokane counties were fighting the inferno that straddled county lines. When it was contained, the fire had burned more than 10,800 acres and destroyed 710 structures, including 366 primary residences, according to the Washington Department of Natural Resources.