Regional fire report for July 18
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 1 month AGO
A Central Mason firefighter checks a stump for heat in the mopping-up phase of the McEwan fire, which has been burning since July 4.
COURTESY PHOTO/CENTRAL MASON FIRE AND EMS
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 18, 2023 1:30 AM
SHELTON — The McEwan fire northwest of Shelton, in Mason County, is in the mopping-up phase, according to a statement from Central Mason Fire and EMS.
The fire, which has been burning since July 4, consumed 250 acres and has cost an estimated $1.8 million or more so far, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
The fire is still actively burning within the control lines, the CMFE wrote. There are several stumps and other holes that are hiding hot embers and burning roots. Hand crews and an excavator are working to identify those areas, then dig them up and cool them with water. Damaged trees and other snags are being identified so workers can safely cut them down and mitigate risk of them falling on someone.
The mitigation work and monitoring will continue into August, the CMFE statement said.
Locally, fire units responded to Monument Hill, near Quincy, for a wildland fire on Sunday. Authorities had the fire under control by 5:30 p.m., but had advised area residents to maintain situational awareness. Grant County Fire Districts 3 and 13, the Ephrata Fire Department, Bureau of Reclamation, Quincy Police, Grant County Sheriff’s Office and the Multiagency Communications Center, also known as MACC 911, worked cooperatively to get the fire out.
These wildfires were also burning in Washington as of Monday afternoon, according to the National Interagency Fire Center:
• Bear Creek, about two miles north of Carson: 2.5 acres. Fire discovered July 16. Containment and cost information were not available.
• Mountain Loop, about 14 miles northeast of Marysville: 14 acres. Fire discovered July 16. Containment and cost information not available.
• Wagner Road, about 17 miles southeast of Sprague: 1,700 acres. Fire discovered July 12. 100% contained. Estimated costs $400,000.
• Consalus, about 20 miles north of Newport: 374 acres. Fire discovered June 30. 10% contained. Costs are estimated at $5,000,000.
• Goodwin, between Vancouver and Camas: 14.5 acres. Fire discovered July 11. Containment and cost information were not available.
• OIE Highway, about 10 miles northeast of Prosser: 1,300 acres. Fire discovered July 3. 100% contained. Costs are estimated at $75,000.
• Tunnel 5, about four miles west of White Salmon: 546 acres. Fire discovered July 2. 100% contained. Costs are estimated at $7,000,000.
• Gold Mountain Ridge, about 12 miles northeast of Keller: 28.8 acres. Fire discovered June 29. 100% contained. Costs are estimated at $3,000,000.
• Oasis, about seven miles west of Touchet: 4,250 acres. Fire discovered June 19. 100% contained. Costs are estimated at $500,000.
• Hover Park, three miles southeast of Finley: 528 acres. Fire discovered June 13. 100% contained. Costs are estimated at $175,000.
• Ruppert Road, about three miles north of Benton City: 155 acres. Fire discovered June 13. 100% contained. Cost is estimated at $100,000.
• Coyote Creek, about 17 miles northwest of Grand Coulee: 1,555 acres. Prescribed burn.
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.