Firefighters worked into the night of April 15 to extinguish slash pile fires that were spread by high winds south of Sequim.

Clallam County Fire District 3 responded to a 9-1-1 call for fires spreading around 4:17 p.m. on the 600 block of Norris Road, south of Fish Hatchery Road and Taylor Cutoff Road.

Clallam County Fire District 3 firefighters responded with two fire engines and two water tenders before handing fire control over to state Department of Natural Resources firefighters.

Eric Flanigan, fire district manager for Washington’s Department of Natural Resources Olympic Region, said this was the region’s first wildland fire of the year.

Its cause is under investigation, he said.

Flanigan said five Port Angeles DNR firefighters with one supervisor and one engine responded at the request of the fire district and because the land owner pays into a forest protection account. Fire spread across two-two-and-a-half acres, Flanigan said, and firefighters remained on scene until 11 p.m.

The region’s wildland firefighting team started part of its service plan on April 1 with three engines, Flanigan said.

By May 1, they’ll bring on more engines, and by mid-June there will be nine engines covering the fire season from Hoquiam to Jefferson County.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ State Department of Natural Resources firefighters for the Olympic Region work to contain a slash pile fire that spread due to wind on April 15 south of Taylor Cutoff Road.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Clallam County Fire District 3 firefighters helped Department of Natural Resources firefighters to initially contain a slash pile fire that spread due to wind on April 15.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Clallam County Fire District 3 firefighters helped Department of Natural Resources firefighters to initially contain a slash pile fire that spread due to wind on April 15.