Washington fire update for July 26
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 1 month 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.
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.