Eagles Roost fire

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, July 14, 2026

By Adam Bigby

Fire Chief

On Monday, July 13, at 12:57 p.m., Lopez Island Fire and EMS responded to a wildland fire in the area of Shark Reef and Meadow Lane. While en route to the scene, assistance was requested from the San Juan Fire District 3 fire boat due to the nature of the report. Personnel arrived on scene at an address in the 200 block of Eagles Roost and found smoke and flames from a cliff approximately 100 feet wide by 60 feet high. The fire was driven by winds from the north and was pushed to neighboring property to the south. After a size-up by command staff, Lopez Island Fire and EMS crews began structure protection by creating a defensible barrier between the fire and the home and then flanking the fire as it worked its way into the trees and brush. DNR was contacted to deploy aircraft to fight the fire and provide personnel; a response from the interagency wildland group on Orcas was also requested. The fire boat, unable to suppress the fire from below, docked and sent its personnel to the scene. The fire was contained, using a combination of air and ground attack, by 4 p.m.

Lopez Island Fire and EMS was assisted by San Juan County Fire District 3, Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Orcas Island Fire District 2, San Juan County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Ferries, who delivered personnel from Orcas Island and the mainland.

As is the case with most wildland fires in the San Juan Islands, this was a human-caused event. Although the exact cause is under investigation by Washington State DNR investigators, we can say that this blaze was preventable. DNR will remain on scene to extinguish hot spots over the next couple of days.

No structures were involved in this fire; one firefighter was treated on scene for a heat-related illness.