FIRE REPORT: Small fires hit locally, regional fires burn on
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years AGO
Tuesday’s lightning storm ignited a small grass fire northwest of Ephrata.
COURTESY PHOTO/GCFD 13
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 30, 2023 5:59 PM
EPHRATA — A small grass fire near Road J and Road 16 Northwest flared up Tuesday, which was quickly put out by Grant County Fire District 13. Lightning struck a fence post, according to a statement from GCFD 13, then appeared to arc multiple times down the fence starting small spot fires.
The cause of a vehicle fire near Soap Lake Wednesday morning was a little less certain, according to a statement from Grant County Fire District 7. The blaze, which is under investigation, destroyed a van but firefighters knocked it down before it could reach a nearby garage. There were no injuries.
The rain Tuesday night helped bring the Oregon Road fire north of Spokane closer to a conclusion, according to a statement from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. That fire, which was discovered Aug. 18 and swelled to 10,817 acres, was 79% contained Wednesday and all evacuations were rescinded. The wet weather enabled the responding agencies to release air resources for fire suppression work elsewhere.
In the Cascades between Mount Rainier and the Columbia River, the cluster of 13 fires that sprang up last weekend have been collectively designated the Cowlitz Complex. These include Snagtooth, the largest, at 286 acres; Deer Creek, at 20 acres; South Fork, 15 acres; Jackpot Creek, 39 acres; Adams Fork, 11 acres; Bear Creek, 15 acres; and Carlton Ridge, 15.5 acres. The remaining fires in the complex totaled less than 20 acres between them Wednesday.
These fires were also burning or were recently extinguished Wednesday, according to data from the National Interagency Fire Center:
• Thompson: This fire about 30 miles northwest of Wenatchee was discovered Tuesday and had burned 20 acres Wednesday. The cause was reported to be natural.
• Lake Whatcom: Discovered Monday about 9 miles southeast of Bellingham, this fire had burned 20 acres Wednesday. It was uncontained and costs were estimated at $100,000.
• Airplane Lake: This blaze, about 50 miles northwest of Wenatchee, had grown to 3,709 acres Wednesday and costs are estimated at $500,000. It is reported as uncontained and no cause has been identified. It was discovered July 7.
• Kindy Creek: Discovered Aug. 18 in the mountains above Lake Chelan about 75 miles northwest of Wenatchee, this blaze had grown to 197 acres Wednesday. It was uncontained and costs were estimated at $90,000.
• Blue Lake: This blaze about 53 miles west of Omak had grown to 1,056 acres Wednesday and was 31% contained. Costs were estimated at $5 million. It was discovered July 29.
• Dome Peak: This fire, located northeast of Mt. Baker National Forest, was uncontained as of Wednesday and had spread to 1,076 acres. The fire was reported July 29. Costs were estimated at $100,000.
• Puyallup Point: Discovered Sunday about 8 miles west of Mount Rainier, it had spread to 10 acres Wednesday afternoon. Containment and cost information was not available.
• Gray: discovered Aug. 18 about 17 miles west of Spokane, it was 90% contained at 10,085 acres Tuesday. Costs were estimated at $8.4 million.
• Crater Creek: The fire, discovered July 22, crossed the Canadian border about 20 miles west of Oroville on Aug. 18. It has burned more than 108,726 acres, 5,055 of them in the U.S. It was 6% contained Wednesday.
• The Eagle Bluff fire, southwest of Oroville near the Canadian border, has burned 16,428 acres. The fire has cost about $9.9 million and was 90% contained Wednesday. The cause of the fire is unknown.
• OA Baseline: Discovered Aug. 18 about 7 miles west of Coulee City, this fire was at 978 acres Wednesday. Containment and cost information was not available.
• Chandler: This fire was discovered Aug. 25 about 15 miles west of Centralia. It had burned 50 acres Wednesday and cost and containment information was not available.
• Huckleberry Flats: This fire was discovered Aug. 19 about 41 miles east of Everett and was 100% contained at 134 acres Wednesday. It was human-caused and costs were estimated at $1 million.
• Winona: The fire, discovered Aug. 18, had burned 2,525 acres about 35 miles northwest of Pullman and was 90% contained Wednesday. Costs were estimated at $300,000.
• Toothaker: 188 acres burned about 8 miles southeast of Kennewick. The fire was discovered Aug. 17. It was 100% contained Wednesday and costs were estimated at $350,000.
• Sourdough: Burning in the Ross Lake National Recreation Area in the north Cascades since July 29, it was 30% contained Wednesday and had reached 6,234 acres. Costs are estimated at $24 million.
• Chocolate Creek: This blaze about 58 miles northwest of Wenatchee remained at 15 acres and was uncontained Wednesday. Costs were estimated at $90,000.
• Consalus Incident: Around 475 acres burned near the Idaho border due east of the Little Oreille National Wildlife Refuge. The fire has cost about $12 million and is 92% contained. Authorities report that the cause of the fire is natural.
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
Quincy National Night Out scales down
QUINCY — Quincy’s National Night Out was more compact this year, which worked out well, said QPD Sgt. Joe Westby, who’s in charge of event planning for the Quincy Police Department. “National Night Out is a big event, and the fact that we’re able to shrink it up is like a breath of fresh air,” Westby said. “If you're always doing the same thing, it's kind of nice to switch things up and see how it works.” National Night Out took place Thursday on the block of C Street next to the police station, a shift from previous years when it was held at Lauzier Park. The smaller space meant fewer emergency vehicles for children to explore, but it also meant less walking for attendees. Grant County Fire District 5 brought a fire truck, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office had a patrol boat. Renew, the Grant County behavioral health agency, had a booth and so did Quincy Partnership for Youth. Veterans Operation Creation sang the national anthem, and the Quincy Animal Shelter brought kittens that piled over each other making friends with passersby. As before, the QPD served grilled hot dogs.
Quincy Police retirements leave big shoes to fill
QUINCY — There are some big shoes to fill at the Quincy Police Department. “We’re losing 48 years of experience between them,” Quincy Police Chief Ryan Green said at the retirement party for Capt. Jorge Trujillo and Det. Damon Powell Thursday. Trujillo, who grew up in Sunnyside, has been with QPD for 19 years, he said, coming on as a patrol officer fresh out of the military. From there he served as a field training officer, a detective and finally captain. “I consider him my left-hand man,” Green said. “He runs the operations side of the house … He knows the agency very well, and he knows the community.” Trujillo has some projects around the house to tackle now that he’s retired, he said.
Big fun on a small scale
Wheat Land Communities’ Fair opens Thursday
RITZVILLE — The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair isn’t as big or as flashy as some of the county fairs around central Washington, but the folks who keep it going like it just the way it is. “It’s somewhere you can go and get an old-time traditional feeling, and you’re comfortable letting your kids roam the grounds and experience all that it has to offer,” said Board Member Lori Williams. “It’s more of a feeling than (one) specific thing,” The fair starts Thursday in Ritzville and runs through Sunday. Starting Friday, the 56th Ritzville Rodeo will take place alongside the fair at the rodeo grounds. This year the entertainment budget was expanded, Williams said, to be able to offer more fun that’s covered by the cost of admission. For the kids, there’s face painting, balloon art, Lego crafts, races, contests and games. Children can also ride on a little train towed around the fairgrounds behind a tractor.