Fire on island wildlife sanctuary near Port Townsend
The fire brigade is on its way to the Island. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office has asked residents to stop calling 911 about this, saying they are inundated with calls.
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Wash. – Jefferson County fire crews are responding to a fire on Guard Island, a designated seabird sanctuary with one resident.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office posted two pictures about a large column of smoke rising from the island visible from across the water. The agency has asked residents to stop calling 911 for fire alarms, saying they are inundated with calls.
protection island It is a “critical site” and one of the last remaining undeveloped habitats for seabirds nesting in the Salish Sea, according to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. It is a nesting site for 70% of the Salish Sea’s breeding seabird populations and is one of only two remaining breeding sites for the Salish Sea feathered seabirds.
The island is closed to visitors to protect the habitat.
Marty Bluewater is the only person living on the island.
Bluewater, a former business manager at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, said he was continued to live on the island by his grandfather when the private development that was formerly his home was turned into a wildlife refuge. wild today.
