As wildfires continue to ravage East and Central Washington, Gov. Bob Ferguson on Monday unveiled a new emergency proclamation that suspends a number of state laws for residents affected by the blazes.

Among the many actions the order takes, it broadens eligibility for the state’s disaster cash and housing assistance programs, loosens requirements for receiving unemployment benefits, and helps people secure new vital personal documents — such as driver’s licenses or birth certificates — at no cost if they were lost in the fires.

Monday’s proclamation also waives a handful of statutes in an effort to keep businesses and health care providers afloat.

The new proclamation comes just over a week after Ferguson declared a state wildfire emergency, which banned most outdoor and agricultural burning through Sept. 30, and opened up mutual aid resources for residents through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact.

“We’re in for the long haul. We understand folks are going through an extraordinarily challenging time — and that’s an understatement,” Ferguson said Monday during a press conference at Spokane City Hall, surrounded by local and state officials. “We’re here to help for as long as it takes. We’ll keep coming back as long as it takes.”

Monday’s order covers seven counties — Chelan, Ferry, Okanogan, Spokane, Stevens, Douglas, and Yakima — plus the confederated tribes and bands of the Yakama Nation, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, and the Spokane Tribe of Indians.

Ferguson said he and his team continue to look through state statutes to see if there are more that should be waived or suspended — and he encouraged residents and business owners impacted by the fires to reach out if a state law or regulation “is getting in their way right now.”

Above all, Ferguson said his top focus is on helping all affected Washingtonians get the assistance they need.

“It’s trying to solve as many problems as we can, as quickly as possible — to try to remove as many barriers as we can as quickly as possible, trying to get resources out as quickly as possible,” Ferguson said. “I’m pretty laser-focused on that, and I’ve instructed my team to be laser-focused on that.”

The governor also on Monday announced he’s planning to apply for a major disaster declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA.

The Trump administration already granted the state’s request for an initial federal emergency declaration, providing financial assistance to local governments helping with evacuations and providing emergency shelters for those displaced by the fires. A major disaster declaration would unlock individual assistance.

Ferguson said he’ll work with residents and elected officials in Eastern Washington on the application in the coming weeks “to demonstrate how devastating these fires have been in our communities.” He expects Washington’s request will be due in mid-September.

In the meantime, firefighting and recovery efforts will continue across the state.

As of Monday morning, Dave Upthegrove, Washington’s commissioner of public lands, said there are currently 21 large fires burning across more than 539,000 acres — and more are emerging, including a “significant fire” near Mount Rainier.

“All told, over 700,000 acres have burned in Washington state, and we’re only halfway through the fire season,” Upthegrove said. “We have a long way to go.”

That’s why Upthegrove is calling on every Washingtonian for help.

“Don’t be the spark that starts the next fire,” he said. “Please follow the burn bans. Please be extra careful with anything that could cause a spark.”

“We’ve asked a lot of our firefighters this summer, and the one thing that every one of us can do for them is to help make sure they don’t have to fight another fire,” Upthegrove added. “They’re doing their part; now it’s time for us to do ours.”

KUOW reporter Ruby de Luna contributed to this report.

Sami West is a reporter with KUOW.

This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/08/10/washington-loosens-financial-assistance-requirements-other-state-laws-in-effort-to-mitigate-wildfire-impacts/