Heavy fire season predicted for state
STAFF REPORT | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years, 5 months AGO
State and national authorities are predicting a busy fire season this summer. State residents are encouraged to exercise caution when using camp fires or burning outdoors near their properties.
COURTESY PHOTO/GRANT CO. FIRE DISTRICT 5
OLYMPIA — The upcoming wildfire season could yield higher-than-typical forest fire activity in parts of Washington state. An above-average wildfire season in eastern Washington is anticipated due in large part to drought, according to a press release from The National Interagency Fire Center.
While Western Washington has experienced a wetter and cooler spring, it hasn’t been the case for eastern Washington. In fact, the NIFC release noted, central and southern parts of Washington are already at “above-normal risk” for wildfires. The National Integrated Drought Information System identified 18 Washington counties currently experiencing moderate to severe drought conditions, all of which are located east of the Cascades.
The increasing frequency of catastrophic blazes underscores the importance of actively managed forests, according to the release. Fires also play an ecological role in forests, recycling nutrients back into the soil, removing underbrush, clearing fuel buildups like dead branches or dried vegetation, creating and enhancing wildlife habitat, and minimizing the spread of disease and insects, the release added.
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Connell woman killed in Booker Road crash
CONNELL — Charges are pending against a Kennewick man following a collision about 12 miles south of Othello that killed a Connell woman and injured three other people Tuesday evening. A Washington State Patrol press memo said intoxicating substances were a factor. Jessica Zarate, 37, Connell, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash near the intersection of SR 17 and South Booker Road, the WSP memo said. She was driving south on Booker Road approaching the intersection when her car was hit by a pickup driven by John Reiss, 62, Kennewick. Edgar Garcia Quirino, 28, Othello, was driving north on SR 17 and ran into Zarate's car, the WSP memo said. The crash occurred at about 6:40 p.m.
Wheeler Road closed because of traffic collision
UPDATE: The road was reopened as of noon, according to a GCSO media release. MOSES LAKE — Grant County Sheriff’s Office has announced there is a road closure between Road 3-NE and Road S-NE. There was a serious traffic collision. GCSO is asking for drivers to avoid the area and find alternative routes. This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Doors opening: The Currents will provide homeownership for more local workers
About 104 homes are planned at the former Atlas sawmill site
Teachers, nurses, firefighters and other workers who keep Coeur d’Alene running will soon have more places to buy a home in the community where they work. About 104 homes are being planned to be built at Atlas Waterfront, on roughly 10 acres that are part of a swath of land that was once home to the Atlas sawmill and is being redeveloped. Ignite CDA, the city of Coeur d’Alene’s urban renewal agency, is leading this effort.