Washington fire update for July 6
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 3 months AGO
A home in the Othello area was destroyed early Wednesday morning by a fire resulting from fireworks that had been disposed of improperly, according to Adams county Fire District No. 5.
COURTESY PHOTO/ADAMS OUNTY FIRE DISTRICT NO. 5
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. | July 5, 2023 5:48 PM
OTHELLO — An Othello-area home was completely destroyed by fire in the early hours of Wednesday morning, according to a statement from Adams County Fire District 5. Two vehicles were also destroyed, but all occupants got out of the house safely. The investigation determined that the cause of the fire was fireworks that had been collected and placed in a trash can.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the McEwan Fire currently burning about three miles northeast of Shelton, according to a FEMA statement.
At the time of the state’s request, the wildfire threatened homes in and around the community of Shelton. The fire also threatened highways, local ancillary roads, Mason County PUD infrastructure, Bonneville Power Administration transmission lines, Burlington-Santa Fe rail lines, communications towers, parks and hiking trails, as well as numerous businesses contributing to the manufacturing, mining and agricultural industries, according to the statement. The fire, which was discovered Tuesday, had burned 250 acres as of Wednesday afternoon.
The Roza Creek wildfire, located above the Yakima River Canyon between Yakima and Ellensburg, had burned about 486 acres as of Friday afternoon, according to a statement from the Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team. The fire is currently 70% contained and no structures are threatened.
These wildfires were also burning in Washington as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the National Interagency Fire Center and the NOAA Office of Satellite and Product Operations:
• Oasis, about seven miles west of Touchet: 4,250 acres. Fire discovered June 19. 100% contained.
• Hansen Road, about one mile south of Benton City: 6,289 acres. Fire discovered June 13. 100% contained.
• Methow, south end of Wenatchee: 150 acres. Fire discovered June 27. Containment information not available.
• Charles, about 17 miles northwest of Spokane: 12.3 acres. Fire discovered June 29. Containment information not available.
• Beehive, about 15 miles northeast of Omak: 27 acres. Fire discovered June 28. Containment information not available.
• Gold Mountain Ridge, about 12 miles northeast of Keller: 30 acres. Fire discovered June 29. 60% contained.
• Little River Road, about five miles south of Port Angeles: 1 acre. Fire discovered July 5. Containment information not available.
• Bogachiel, about two miles west of Forks: 5 acres. Fire discovered July 4. Containment information not available.
• Bozy Creek, about seven miles east of Elma: 4 acres. Fire discovered July 5. Containment information not available.
• Ike, just north of Mossyrock: 2 acres. Fire discovered July 2. Containment information not available.
• Tunnel Five, about four miles west of White Salmon: 546 acres. Fire discovered July 2. 5% containment.
• Pine Spring, about 10 miles west of Cheney: 29.5 acres. Fire discovered July 2. Containment information not available.
• Selah Cliffs, about six miles northeast of Selah: 200 acres. Fire discovered July 5. Containment information not available.
Joel Martin may be reached at [email protected].
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Endless battle
Noxious Weed Control Board works to keep invasive plants under control
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.”
BASIN EVENTS: Oct. 16-24
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.
Moses Lake author encourages women to look beyond church culture norms
MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake author’s book, “A Christian Woman Striving to Live Her Faith in a Man-Controlled World,” takes aim at the role to which many churches relegate the female half of their congregations. “It’s to encourage women in the faith,” Linda Curran said. “A lot of churches say, ‘Teach Sunday school, do this, do that, but don’t (evangelize.)’" In her book, Curran recounts a time when she moved to a new community and joined a church there. She was surprised to learn that, as a new female member, she had been automatically assigned church cleaning duties. When she questioned it, she wrote, she was met with condescension and her objections were brushed aside. In other churches, she said, women who were capable of teaching were relegated to “women’s ministry.”