Wildland fire scorches Lopez Island cliffside, multi-agency response prevents damage to homes
Published 1:30 am Friday, July 17, 2026
A wildland fire broke out Monday, July 13, on a cliffside off Shark Reef Road near Meadow Lane, prompting a rapid mutual aid response from fire agencies across the San Juan Islands and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. By 6 p.m., the fire was contained, though crews planned to remain on scene overnight to monitor for flare-ups.
In an interview with the Islands’ Weekly, Lopez Island Fire & EMS Chief Adam Bigby said the department received calls from residents on both San Juan Island and Lopez Island reporting flames roughly 100 feet up a cliff face. “We arrived on scene to find a bunch of people trying to put the fire out with buckets of water from above,” Bigby said.
According to Bigby, a north wind pushed the fire south toward Shark Reef. “We were able to stop any intrusion into the homes,” he said. Crews laid down a wet line to protect the houses while calling in additional resources, including a San Juan County Fire Department fireboat that Bigby radioed to respond before he had even arrived on scene. “They weren’t able to reach any of the cliffside from the water, so they ended up landing and sending their manpower up to us,” he said.
DNR arrived with a helicopter about 15 to 20 minutes after fire crews, and Bigby said the agency’s aircraft handled the bulk of the firefighting. “Most of the fire attack took place from the air,” he said. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, though Bigby confirmed it was human-caused. He said one major obstacle was a stand of Scotch broom covering the cliffside, reportedly the result of years of yard waste being dumped over the edge. “Scotch broom is pretty nasty stuff — it kept flaring up on us,” Bigby said.
According to social media posts from Orcas Island Fire & Rescue and the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, agencies on scene included Lopez Island Fire & EMS, Orcas Island Fire & Rescue, San Juan Island Fire & Rescue, the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office and DNR. Orcas Island Fire & Rescue confirmed it sent a brush engine, a utility truck and seven firefighters, while DNR contributed three crews and two helicopters. The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office asked residents to avoid the area near Meadow Lane and Shark Reef Road while crews worked, and later confirmed the fire had been extinguished, with the DNR assuming responsibility for the investigation.
Bigby said DNR crews were expected to camp on the island overnight to monitor for flare-ups, with additional crews and a helicopter expected from the mainland Tuesday morning to complete mop-up operations.
Bigby also urged island residents to take preventive steps to protect their homes from wildfire, encouraging them to contact local fire departments for a “Wildfire Ready Neighbor” home assessment. “Keeping firewood away from the structures, keeping bushes out of the eaves, cleaning your gutters, cleaning the hips on your roof and around your skylights — just keeping it free of debris is going to be huge to saving your structure,” he said.
