Washington Governor Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency Saturday as three large fires continue to char tens of thousands of acres of the state.

The largest of the three blazes, the Jolly Mountain Fire near Cle Elum, encompassed nearly 21,000 acres Monday and was zero percent contained. More than 670 firefighting personnel have been assigned to the lightning-sparked fire, including two islanders.

Vashon volunteer firefighters Brett Kranjcevich, who serves as the department’s volunteer chief and a department mechanic and has worked as a wildland firefighter multiple times over the years, and Tony Puz were assigned to the fire last week. They headed out on Saturday morning with the department’s brush truck. Vashon Island Fire & Rescue (VIFR) Chief Charlie Krimmert said they could be gone for anywhere from 14 to 21 days.

“Chief Kranjcevich is well-known and recognized in the wildland arena,” Krimmert said. “It’s very much a passion of his, and he brings pride to our organization because of how well he is known in the wildland firefighting world.”

According to Inciweb, the Forest Service’s Incident Command website, firefighters’ main objectives are to protect homes, infrastructure and land, including roadways.

Prior to heading to Jolly Mountain, the two firefighters were at the Grand Mound Fire south of Olympia. The fire has since been contained. Kranjcevich and Puz returned home from Grand Mound Wednesday only to be called back for Jolly Mountain Saturday.

Kranjcevich and Puz are two of the department’s volunteers who have completed wildfire training and can be called on by the state when wildfires grow too large for local departments to handle. When the specific zone that Vashon is a part of is called up to help, whoever is available on short notice responds. The volunteers are compensated for their work by the state. Paid staff can be sent as well, but Krimmert said Vashon’s department is in a staffing crisis and cannot spare any paid staff.

Krimmert said Washington is one of many states being stretched thin for firefighters: Oregon, California and Montana are all also dealing with multiple large wildfires.

“Montana is burning to the ground,” Krimmert said, noting that the Sprague Fire in Glacier National park has claimed historic chalets and is estimated at nearly 9,500 acres.