The 2025 Washington wildfire season was a series of wildfires in the U.S. state of Washington.

Background

While the typical "fire season" in Washington varies every year based on weather conditions, most wildfires occur in between July and October. However, hotter, drier conditions can allow wildfires to start outside of the typical fire period. Wildfires are most prevalent between July and October, as moisture from winter and spring precipitation dries up. Vegetation is abundant during these periods while overall conditions are typically the hottest and driest. The increase of vegetation (fuel) and reduced moisture levels can make the fires spread easier.

Events

Predictions for the 2025 fire season made by the National Interagency Fire Center in May 2025 included above normal fire danger across the entire state of Washington by August, one of only two U.S. states so predicted (the other was Oregon). The Washington State Department of Natural Resources stated that the 2025 fire season could begin as soon as June.

The Red Bridge Fire near Cle Elum burned by June 9, including two structures. Immediate evacuations were ordered on June 9.

A fire in the Tumwater Canyon of the Wenatchee River closed U.S. Highway 2 on June 10.

"Go now" evacuations from Copper Creek/Staircase area due to Bear Gulch Fire were ordered on July 30. Staircase Campground was ordered evacuated on July 31. Haze from the fire reached Seattle and other Puget Sound communities the same week. The fire caused unhealthy air conditions in Bellevue on August 4. On August 12, the fire caused pyrocumulus clouds to form, and darkened the skies around the central Puget Sound area, including Seattle. The pyrocumulus cloud above the fire was visible from Seattle to Aberdeen on the Pacific coast.

In late August, a series of lightning-caused fires hit northeastern Washington. The largest of these fires, the Crown Creek Fire, near Northport, Washington in Stevens County grew to more than 3,000 acres without containment as of September 2nd, 2025.

Between September 5–7, fourteen fires burned in both Western Washington and Eastern Washington, four of them larger than 10,000 acres, causing poor air quality across the state. Air quality was unhealthy in Colville, and a "smokestorm" on September 5 caused "extraordinarily unhealthy" conditions north and east of Seattle, with the highest value of particulates ever recorded in Lake Forest Park, a Seattle suburb: 300 micrograms per cubic meter.

By September 10, 133,200 acres had burned in wildfires, and 13 fires were still active.

Blewett Pass was closed on September 21 and reopened on October 7 due to the Labor Mountain Fire.

The season was declared over by October 27 by the Washington Department of Natural Resources.

List of wildfires

The following is a list of fires that burned more than , or produced significant structural damage or casualties. NameCounty AcresStart dateContainment dateNotesRefFirewaterYakima3,820Vansycle CanyonWalla Walla2,026PomasChelan3,618Lightning-caused. Burned about northwest of Entiat.BarstowWalla Walla1,543Burned in brush and grass, and threatened crops near Prescott.Apple AcresChelan3,410Human-caused. Burned south of Pateros. Restricted U.S. Route 97 to alternating traffic.Bear GulchMason20,000Human-caused, near Lake CushmanHopeStevens8,177Under investigation. Burned SW of NorthportWestern PinesLincoln5,781Human-caused. Burned north of Davenport. Destroyed 21 homes and 26 outbuildings.Boundary RoadYakima1,210Human-caused. Burned southeast of Toppenish.BurdoinKlickitat10,675August 9Undetermined cause. Burned west of Lyle and destroyed numerous residential structures.Lake Spokane Stevens2,550Human-caused. Burned north of Spokane near Spokane Lake and U.S. Route 395. Two residential structures burned as of July 22Central FerryWhitman6,597August 17Caused by a motorhome fire. Burned west of Pullman and prompting Level 2 evacuations. Closed State Route 127.WildcatYakima10,940October 25East of Mount Rainier National Park, in the William O. Douglas Wilderness – ignited by lightning on August 25 and grew slowly until August 30PerryWhatcom1,772Lightning caused; above Ross LakeCrown Creek ComplexStevens14,192First treated as a complex of three fires approximately southeast of Marble, Washington Includes the combined Crown Creek and Blackhawk Mountain Fire.Katy Creek split off and treated as a separate incident Started by a lightning storm.Katy CreekFerry4,680Lightning caused; northwest of Kettle Falls, Washington. Seen by same command group as the Crown Creek Complex.Lower SugarloafChelan42,980Twelve miles north of Leavenworth; expanded from 100 acres to 6,222 overnight and caused evacuations on September 4 and beyond. 99% contained on October 19.RattlesnakeFerry21,845 west of Seven Bays. Started by lightning. 96% contained on December 22.Labor MountainKittitas42,967Lightning-caused. Burning north of Cle Elum. Closing parts of Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. 97% contained on November 13.Tacoma CreekStevens3,961Lightning-caused, burned north of Cusick.Snow PeakFerry1,174Lightning-caused. Burned west of Kettle Falls in inaccessible terrain.Lynx MountainFerry9,226 northwest of Inchelium. Human-caused.Wooden RoadWalla Walla4,905Unknown cause. north of Eureka and prompted Level 1 "Get Ready" evacuations.

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