Fire report for July 11, 2023
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 3 months AGO
A semi hauling vehicles caught fire Saturday morning on I-90 near the Wild Horse monument. The blaze spread to about 100 acres before it was contained.
COURTESY PHOTO/WSP
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 11, 2023 1:30 AM
MOSES LAKE — Basin fire crews were kept busy over the weekend, with a couple of sizable brush fires that fortunately involved no injuries or structure damage, according to Grant County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Kyle Foreman.
A report came in about 8 a.m. Saturday of a fire near milepost 140 on I-90 near the Wild Horse Monument, Foreman said. The engine of a semi that was hauling vehicles had caught fire, and when the driver pulled off onto the shoulder the fire spread to the dry grass beyond. Eastbound traffic was reduced to one lane for safety, Foreman said. The fire burned about 100 acres before it was contained at about 10:45.
At about 5:15 Monday morning, a firefighter saw lightning strike in the area of Roads 36 and I.8 Northeast near Coulee City, Foreman said, igniting a blaze that eventually consumed about 200 acres. Evacuation notices went out about 7 a.m. for a handful of homes that were in the area, Foreman said, and were lifted about 9. One person had to shelter in an ambulance until it was safe to return home, he added, but no homes were threatened.
Fires were also reported near the interaction of Road 12 NW and Road W NW, near Baird Springs south of Road W NW and near Crescent Bar Road Monday afternoon. Residents near Crescent Bar were advised to close their windows and remain indoors due to air quality concerns. Additional details were not available as of press time. Information will be included in our next edition.
These wildfires were also burning in Washington as of Monday afternoon, according to the National Interagency Fire Center:
• Tunnel 5, about four miles west of White Salmon: 529 acres. Fire discovered July 2. 80% contained.
• Consalus, about 20 miles north of Newport: 100 acres. Fire discovered June 30. 8% contained.
• McEwan, about three miles northeast of Shelton: 250 acres. Fire discovered July 4. 70% contained.
• Coulter Creek, about 6 miles southwest of Port Orchard: 3 acres. Fire discovered July 4. Containment information not available.
• OIE Highway, about 10 miles northeast of Prosser: 1,300 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.
• 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.
• Gold Mountain Ridge, about 12 miles northeast of Keller: 28.8 acres. Fire discovered June 29. 100% 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: 5 acres. Fire discovered July 5. Containment information not available.
• Pine Spring, about 10 miles west of Cheney: 29.5 acres. Fire discovered July 2. Containment information not available.
• Elfendahl, about 16 miles southwest of Bremerton: 1.5 acres. Fire discovered July 9. Containment information not available.
• Laurel Street, Shelton: 3 acres. Fire discovered July 8. Containment information not available.
• Anderson Road, about seven miles southeast of Morton: 1 acre. Fire discovered July 10. Containment information not available.
• Farnham, about 13 miles west of Mansfield: 76 acres. Fore discovered July 8. Containment information not available.
• OA-Cook Road, about 11 miles west of Yakima: 2.5 acres. Fire discovered June 22. Containment information not available.
• Coyote Creek, about 17 miles northwest of Grand Coulee: 1,555 acres. Prescribed burn.
• Beck, about 16 miles southwest of Colville: 10 acres. Fire discovered July 9. Containment information not available.
• Pingston, about three miles north of Kettle Falls: 27.5 acres. Fire discovered July 8. Containment information not available.
• Miller Ranch, about six miles northeast of Sprague: 9.8 acres. Fire discovered July 8. Containment information not available.
Joel Martin may be reached via email 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.”