SOUTH COUNTY — Fire crews and emergency services were busy on Saturday with the lightning storms that passed through the area both early in the morning and again in the afternoon and evening.

According to meteorologist Steven Van Horn of the National Weather Service in Spokane, the Othello area had between 50 and 80 lightning strikes throughout the day on Saturday. The strikes were mainly south and west of Othello, decreasing around the Potholes Reservoir area.

Two of the strikes sparked wildfires in the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge. According to Gary Lebacken, fire chief for Adams County Fire District No. 5 in Othello, the strikes happened early in the morning.

“As the day dried out, they became wildland fires,” Lebacken said.

One of the fires totaled 21 acres while the other burned 175 acres. Grant County Fire Districts 10 and 11, along with the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, assisted with the fires. As of Monday morning, the Department of Fish and Wildlife was still monitoring the fires.

Saturday afternoon’s storm passed mainly to the east of Othello, according to Lebacken.

Royal City and Mattawa didn’t have as many lightning strikes as Othello did on Saturday. Van Horn said that there were between 15 and 30 lightning strikes between the two towns.

“There were some sporadic strikes between Royal City and Mattawa,” Van Horn said. “They were more toward Royal City. There were maybe a handful of strikes between Mattawa and Yakima.”

Even though Mattawa didn’t have that many strikes, Grant County Fire District No. 8, based out of Mattawa, was busy during Saturday evening’s storm. At 5:04 p.m., Fire District No. 8 responded to a fire on Highway 24 at milepost 50. Seven minutes later, a fire on Saddle Mountain west of Road G Southwest was reported. Both of those fires were put out by the rain, according to Barbara Davis, Grant County Fire District No. 8 secretary.

At 5:49 p.m., the fire district received a call for assistance when a cottonwood tree fell on the porch of a structure. Three individuals were on the porch at the time. Two people were transported for medical care.

The district’s final call for the evening came at 7:16 p.m. when a downed power line was reported on Road 24.7 Southwest.

“We had a light crew this weekend,” Davis said. “It was all hands on deck. We had people coming out of the woodwork to help with the fires.”

Rachal Pinkerton may be reached via email at [email protected].