Washington fire update for July 26
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 3 months AGO
A semi caught fire Monday and ignited a wildfire fire above Vantage that closed I-90 in both directions for several hours.
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 26, 2023 1:30 AM
VANTAGE — Interstate 90 was open in both directions Tuesday morning following a fire that closed the freeway between the Ryegrass summit and the Vantage Bridge on Monday. A semi had caught fire and ignited the dry brush alongside the road, according to Washington State Patrol Trooper Jeremy Weber. The fire had grown to 150 acres and was 0% contained as of Tuesday morning.
The Wawawai fire located about five miles southwest of Pullman was reported at about 9 p.m. Monday and had burned about 500 acres as of early Tuesday afternoon. The blaze has sparked a Level 1 evacuation warning. A press release from the Northeast Washington Interagency Management Team indicates that high winds and a sloping landscape contributed to the rapid spread of the fire. Multiple Whitman County fire districts responded to the fire, along with the aid of two helicopters on Monday. Tuesday saw multiple dozers arriving to support firefighting efforts and state resources are mobilized to fight the conflagration. About 35 firefighters and support staff have responded so far and more may be deployed. A total of six fire engines, two dozers and a pair of helicopters are on hand and the fire was reported as 0% contained Tuesday. The cause is under investigation and no cost estimate is yet available.
These wildfires were also burning in Washington Tuesday, according to the NIFC:
• Newell Road, about 17 miles east of Goldendale: 56,143 acres. 20% contained. Costs estimated at $5,000,000.
Ione Road, about 10 miles north of Pasco: 114 acres. Fire discovered July 24. Containment and cost information not available.
• Foster Wells, about four miles north of Pasco: 3 acres. Fire discovered July 22. Containment and cost information not available.
• Pogue, about nine miles west of Spokane: 2.6 acres. Fire discovered July 22. Containment and cost information not available.
• John Day Dam, about 9 miles southeast of Goldendale: 60 acres. Fire discovered July 8. Containment and cost information not available.
• Badger, about five miles northeast of Wenatchee. 473 acres. Fire discovered July 20. 100% contained. Costs estimated at $820,000.
• Consalus, about 20 miles north of Newport: 466 acres. Fire discovered June 30. 30% contained. Costs estimated at $10,000,000.