Soap Lake fire causes evacuation notice
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 3 months AGO
The Tunnel 5 fire, in Skamania County, has spread to 546 acres and is 5% contained, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. It’s one of 21 wildfires more than an acre large currently burning in Washington.
COURTESY PHOTO/SKAMANIA COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
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 6, 2023 5:06 PM
SOAP LAKE — A level 3 evacuation notice was issued for the 3000-4000 block of Road 20 Northeast near Soap Lake Wednesday evening, according to a statement from Grant County Fire District 13. A level 3 evacuation means “Leave now,” the statement added.
About 10:30 p.m. a brush fire was reported in that area, according to Grant County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Kyle Foreman. The blaze consumed 34 acres, Foreman said, and damaged the FAA navigation facility, but no other structures were damaged and there were no injuries, he said.
The evacuation order was lifted at 11:37 p.m., according to GCFD 13. Responding agencies included Grant County Fire District 13, Ephrata Fire Department, Grant County fire districts 7, 5 and 13, Grant PUD and Grant County Sheriff’s Office.
The cause of the fire is suspected to be fireworks use, but no citations were issued nor any criminal action taken, Foreman said.
These wildfires were also burning in Washington as of Thursday afternoon, according to the National Interagency Fire Center:
• McEwan, about three miles northeast of Shelton: 250 acres. Fire discovered July 4. 0% contained.
• Independence: about six miles northwest of Skokomish: 1.5 acres. Fire discovered July 3. Containment information not available.
• Coulter Creek, about 6 miles southwest of Port Orchard: 3 acres. Fire discovered July 4. Containment information not available.
• Price Lake, about 10 miles northeast of Mount Baker, 3 acres. Fire discovered July 1. Containment information not available.
• Yale Bridge, about 18 miles east of Woodland: 1 acre. Fire discovered July 2. Containment information not available.
• OIE Highway, about 10 miles northeast of Prosser: 900 acres. Fire discovered July 3. 100% contained.
• Moran Creek, about 12 miles northwest of Chewelah: 61 acres. 95% contained.
• Hover Park, three miles southeast of Finley: 528 acres. Fire discovered June 13. 100% contained.
• Ruppert Road, about three miles north of Benton City: 155 acres. Fire discovered June 13. 100% contained.
• Consalus, about 20 miles north of Newport: 100 acres. Fire discovered June 30. Containment information not available.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
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.”