Spokane, Okanogan fires continue to threaten homes
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 3 months AGO
The West Hallett fire spread to 200 acres Monday afternoon and has prompted evacuation notices around the southwestern corner of Spokane.
COURTESY PHOTO/WA DNR
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | August 2, 2023 1:30 AM
SPOKANE — The West Hallett fire, located along Spokane-Cheney Road just southwest of Spokane, remained at 200 acres Tuesday. The fire, which sprang up suddenly Monday afternoon, was 0% contained and costs were estimated at $150,000 so far, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
The Eagle Bluff fire in Okanogan County at the Canadian border was 10% contained Tuesday, according to the NIFC. The blaze currently stands at 15,349 acres and has cost an estimated $4,900,000, as well as triggering evacuations on both sides of the border.
These wildfires were also burning in Washington on Tuesday, according to the NIFC:
• NS-198, about 56 miles west of Yakima: 2 acres. Fire discovered July 31. Containment and cost information not available.
• Austin Road, 6700 block of North Austin Road, Spokane: 1 acre. Fire discovered July 30. Containment and cost information not available.
• Pine Hollow, about 8 miles west of Yakima: 30 acres. Fire discovered July 31. Containment and cost information not available.
• NS-197, Vancouver: 1.5 acres. Fire discovered July 31. Containment and cost information not available.
• Katie Lane, about 6 miles southeast of Spokane: 12.4 acres. Fire discovered July 30. Containment and cost information not available.
• Bear Creek, about 13 miles southeast of Mount Vernon: 2.5 acres. Fire discovered July 29. Containment and cost information not available.
• NS-193, about 15 miles north of Vancouver: 1.5 acres. Fire discovered July 30. Containment and cost information not available.
• Sourdough, about 60 miles east of Bellingham: 25 acres. Fire discovered July 29. Containment and cost information not available.
• Wawawai, about 5 miles west of Pullman: 526 acres. 99% contained. Fire discovered July 24. Costs estimated at $357,253.
• Newell Road, about 17 miles east of Goldendale: 60,551 acres. Fire discovered July 21. 100% contained. Costs estimated at $9,900,000.
• Consalus, about 20 miles north of Newport: 475 acres. Fire discovered June 30. 70% contained. Costs estimated at $10,000,000.
• Airplane Lake, about 50 miles northwest of Chelan: 25 acres. Fire discovered July 7. 0% contained. Costs estimated at $50,000.
• Badger, about 5 miles northeast of Wenatchee. 473 acres. Fire discovered July 20. 100% contained. Costs estimated at $820,000.
Joel Martin may be reached at jmartin@columbiabasinherald.com.
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Sackmanns, Dent named to Agriculture Hall of Fame
MOSES LAKE — Two local agricultural powerhouses were named to the Moses Lake Ag Hall of Fame Oct. 21: cattle and hay growers Debbie and Sid Sackmann and aviation advocate, and bison grower Tom Dent, who also represents Washington’s 13th district in the state House of Representatives. Debbie and Sid Sackmann were introduced at the ceremony by state Sen. Judy Warnick, also of Washington’s 13th district. “Throughout his career, Sid has served on numerous agricultural committees, representing the farmers of the Columbia Basin with integrity and perfection and passion,” Warnick said. “He spent more than 15 years on the Hay Growers Association Board, and 19 years on the Farm Credit Services Board, in addition to his and Debbie’s service with Moses Lake 4-H and FFA Booster Committee, A highlight of his hay growing career was being named the 2014 Grant County Fair Hay King … Sid and Debbie could often be found calling on local businesses and collecting donations to support the 4- H and FFA livestock sale at the Grant County Fair. Bidding on local youth projects was Sid’s favorite part of the work, and Debbie and I were right there keeping the budget on track.”
Northwest Hort Expo coming to Wenatchee Dec. 8-10
The Northwest Hort Expo has outgrown its space. “Historically, this show has only been in the (Wenatchee) Convention Center,” said Event Coordinator Dawn Milne. “Now we’ve opened it up into the (Town) Toyota Center as well. Typically, we used to only have 150 exhibitors, but now that we have more room, we’re getting some new types of industry people because we have more space.” The two locations are about a mile apart, Milne said, so the expo is offering a shuttle to get attendees back and forth. “The shuttle is also huge for parking,” Milne said. “The Convention Center is a little shy on parking, so we have additional parking over at the Toyota Center, and they just go back and forth between the exhibit venues.”
Use common sense when warming up with a space heater
MOSES LAKE — Winter weather has come to the Basin, which means a lot of people will be looking for ways to keep warm. Space heaters can be a useful, portable way to heat up a room, but you have to be careful with them and the fire risks they present. “Maintain space between the heater and any combustible object: clothes, blankets, anything that could catch fire,” said Moses Lake firefighter Seth Ellis. One in six residential fires on average are caused by heating equipment, according to the National Fire Prevention Association. Of those, about a third are caused by space heaters, but those fires result in 88% of civilian deaths and 80% of civilian injuries from heating-related fires. The number of fires caused by heaters has dropped from more than 70,000 annually to about 40,000, largely due to safety features like switches to shut the device off when it tips over.