business backgrounder | economy
wildfires by the numbers
1,005,423
Acres burned statewide since June 1
892,974
Approximate acreage burned
in Eastern Washington, alone*
1,541
In Wenatchee, the small but destructive Sleepy Hollow Fire destroyed 30
upscale homes, two large fruit-packing warehouses and a large ag supply business
in North Wenatchee.
Even so, job loss is thought to be minimal as many employees were reassigned
to the affected companies’ other installations.
Construction employment has soared in Okanogan County this year, as
rebuilding after the 2014 fires hit full stride. Year over year construction job
growth from April to September was up from 24 percent to 38 percent over 2014,
figures show.
building materials
The boom in Okanogan County construction jobs is echoed in soaring building
materials sales.
“It’s busier than it’s been in a long time because of the fires,” said Craig Randall,
manager of Valley Lumber in Okanogan. “It used to be that people would buy the
most economical materials they could find to build a house, but after these fires
they’re going to cement siding and metal roofs — more fire-resistant materials.”
In Chelan, Brett La Mar, owner of Lake Chelan Building Supply, says sales have
been good since 2013. A construction spike could come next spring, when work
begins to repair or replace homes burned in this summer’s Chelan Complex fires.
For now, he’s at work with an architec ۈ [