Fire report for July 11, 2023
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 1 month 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
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.