Spokane-area fires claim two lives, trigger evacuations
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 1 month AGO
An aerial view of the Oregon Road fire north of Spokane Friday. The fire, which was estimated at 100 acres Friday afternoon, had ballooned to more than 10,000 acres by Monday afternoon.
Courtesy photo/Washington State Department of Natural Resources
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 21, 2023 6:28 PM
SPOKANE — Fires in the Spokane area, including two over 10,000 acres, claimed at least two lives as well as causing evacuations and traffic hassles over the weekend.
A body was found in the area burned by the Oregon Road fire north of Spokane on Sunday afternoon, according to an Associated Press report. Another person died in connection with the Gray fire that started Friday west of Spokane.
The Gray fire had grown to 10,014 acres by Monday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The fire was 10% contained Monday and costs were estimated at $1,250,000. The blaze prompted the evacuation of the entire city of Medical Lake, as well as the communities of Lakeland Village and Four Lakes. Interstate 90 is closed to traffic between the Four Lakes and Tyler interchanges until further notice, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation. Traffic is being detoured in both directions on State Route 904 through Cheney.
The Oregon Road fire, about 31 miles north of Spokane, was up to 10,137 acres Monday, according to the NCIF. The fire was 10% contained and costs were estimated at $867,824. Both the Gray and the Oregon Road fires were determined to be human-caused.
The air quality in central and eastern Washington was expected to improve slightly Monday and Tuesday. The smoke from the Crater Creek fire and others in western Canada affected air quality most in the western parts of Grant and Adams counties. The Air Quality Index at Crescent Bar was 308, in the hazardous range, while Mattawa’s AQI was 256, Othello’s was 265 and Royal City’s was 278, all considered very unhealthy. Moses Lake was down to 169, or unhealthy, and Ritzville’s AQI was 29, considered good.
“Weather conditions across our state this past week have been incredibly hot and dry,” Washington Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz said in a press conference Friday. “And we are smack dab in the prime part of the season for severe wildfires. We are urging everyone to please do their part and be one less spark. These conditions can be very, very difficult and dangerous not only for our communities but for our firefighters who are already very tired from the months that they've been fighting fires.”
These fires were also burning or were recently extinguished Monday, according to data from the National Interagency Fire Center:
• Crater Creek: The fire, discovered July 22, crossed the Canadian border about 20 miles west of Oroville Friday. It has burned more than 108,726 acres, 8,102 of them in the U.S. It was uncontained Monday and costs were estimated at $5 million.
• Huckleberry Flats: This fire was discovered Aug. 19 about 41 miles east of Everett and was uncontained at 134 acres Monday. It was human-caused and costs were estimated at $150,000.
• Winona: The fire, discovered Aug. 18, had burned 2,535 acres about 35 miles northwest of Pullman and was 90% contained. Costs were estimated at $250,000.
• Toothaker: 188 acres burned about 8 miles southeast of Kennewick. The fire was discovered Aug. 17. It was 100% contained Monday and costs were estimated at $350,000.
• Wenas Grade: About 12 miles northwest of Yakima. The fire, discovered Aug. 18, burned 50 acres and was human-caused. Containment and cost information were not available.
• Border: This fire, discovered Aug. 15 on the Canadian border about 6 miles west of the Idaho state line, was up to 12 acres Monday. Containment information was not available, but costs were estimated at $500,000. The cause was natural.
• Kindy Creek: An 89-acre fire discovered Aug. 18 in the mountains above Lake Chelan about 75 miles northwest of Wenatchee. The blaze was uncontained Monday and costs were estimated at $90,000.
• Sourdough: Burning in the Ross Lake National Recreation Area in the north Cascades since July 29, was 12% contained Monday and had reached 5,647 acres. Costs are estimated at $24 million.
• Blue Lake: This blaze about 53 miles west of Omak had grown to 265 acres Saturday and was uncontained Monday. Costs were estimated at $5 million. It was discovered July 29.
• Dome Peak: This fire, located northeast of the Mt. Baker National Forest, was uncontained as of Monday and had spread to 802 acres. The fire was reported July 29. Costs were estimated at $100,000.
• Lake Louise: A blaze in Fort Steilacoom Park about 7 miles southwest of Tacoma was discovered Aug. 16 and has grown to 24 acres. The cause was undetermined and costs and containment information were unavailable.
• Mounts Road: A 150-acre fire on Joint Base Lewis-McChord was discovered on Aug. 13. Cost and containment information was not available.
• Trinity: This fire west of Kennewick and north of the Yakima River burned 602 acres. The cost to fight the fire is estimated at $150,000 and the fire was 90% contained.
• Chocolate Creek: This 15-acre blaze about 58 miles northwest of Wenatchee was uncontained Monday. Costs were estimated at $90,000.
• Consalus: Around 475 acres burned near the Idaho border due east of the Little Oreille National Wildlife Refuge. The fire has cost about $10 million and is 83% contained. Authorities report that the cause of the fire is natural.
• Eagle Bluff: The fire, southwest of Oroville near the Canadian border, has burned more than 16,000 acres. The fire has cost about $9.9 million and is fully contained. The cause of the fire is unknown.
• Airplane Lake: This blaze burned 1,500 acres Monday and costs are estimated at $500,000. It is reported as uncontained and no cause has been identified. It was discovered July 7.
Several other fires are reported throughout the state but have burned less than 10 acres and are not included in this report. The majority are reported as out and many are less than 1 acre.
Joel Martin may be reached by email at [email protected].
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Endless battle
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MOSES LAKE — Some of the nastiest plants in Grant County were the topic of a class led by Jay Johnson, a consultant with the Grant County Noxious Weed Control Board, Tuesday. The Noxious Weed Control Board, as its name would suggest, is tasked with keeping weeds under control in Grant County. That’s not a small job; the board’s website lists 129 species of noxious weeds that are found around Grant County. A noxious weed is defined as an invasive, non-native plant that threatens agricultural crops, local ecosystems or fish and wildlife habitat, according to the Noxious Weed Control Board. Washington state law requires that these weeds be identified and their spread kept to a minimum, if not completely eradicated. “We’re one of those agencies a lot of people don’t really understand,” Johnson said. “We’re a county office and … our funding is tax-based assessment. When you get your tax bill and you look down at all the expenses that you pay for, there we are.”
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COLUMBIA BASIN — Whether you feel like shopping, crafting, learning or seeing a show, there’s something happening for you this week in the Basin. Oct. 16 ‘My Family (Mi Familia)’ screening Spanning three generations, “My Family (Mi Familia)” is a heartfelt drama that follows the Sánchez family as they build their lives in East Los Angeles. Through love, hardship, triumph, and sacrifice, the film explores the immigrant experience, the strength of family bonds, and the traditions that connect one generation to the next. Lowrider show and taco truck before the screening. Sponsored by Columbia Basin Allied Arts, EDUBS C/S and the Moses Lake Creative District. $12 per person. Doors open at 6 p.m., film begins at 7 p.m. at the Moses Lake Civic Center Auditorium, 401 S. Balsam St. Tickets and info: www.cba-arts.org.
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