Ephrata-area home burns, wildfires continue statewide
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 1 month AGO
A residence and several other buildings were lost in a wildfire Wednesday near Ephrata. The fire may have been caused by gasoline stored in a pump house, according to Grant county Fire District 13.
COURTESY PHOTO/GCFD 13
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 27, 2023 4:35 PM
EPHRATA — A fire destroyed a home in the 12000 block of Road A.5 east of Ephrata Wednesday evening.
Personnel from Grant County Fire District 13 arrived at the scene to find multiple outbuildings, a residence and the vegetation around them ablaze, according to a statement from GCFD 5. Firefighters were able to save several outbuildings and an RV, but a residence, an unoccupied single-wide mobile home, multiple outbuildings and about five acres were burned. The cause of the fire was believed to be gasoline stored in a pump house.
“We are asking for all citizens in the district to assess your property, clear brush, unkept vegetation, and any other combustibles away from residences, buildings, vehicles and property,” GCFD 13 wrote in the statement. “Ensure fire trucks have clear access to your residence and help us increase our ability to save as much property as possible when a fire strikes.”
With fires threatening homes across the state and nation, the Washington State Fire Marshal’s Office issued tips on how those with disabilities should prepare their homes in the event of a house fire or nearby wildfire. These tips include:
• Make sure smoke alarms are installed on every level of the home, especially near sleeping areas.
• Interconnect smoke alarms so that if one sounds, all of them alert residents of the home.
• Those with hearing impairments should consider alarms with vibrating pads, flashing lights or strobe lights that begin when the alarm sounds.
• Two exits should be identified from each room.
• When possible, sleep on the ground floor of the home to ensure ease of escape, if necessary.
These wildfires were also burning in Washington Thursday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center:
• Raindance, about 11 miles southeast of Kennewick: 30 acres. Fire discovered July 27. Containment and cost information not available.
• Euclid, about seven miles west of Spokane: 1 acre. Fire discovered July 27. Containment and cost information not available.
• Wawawai, about five miles west of Pullman: 526 acres. 50% contained. Fire discovered July 24. Costs estimated at $235,772.
• Newell Road, about 17 miles east of Goldendale: 61,833 acres. Fire discovered July 21. 50% contained. Costs estimated at $9,900,000.
• Ione Road, about 10 miles north of Pasco: 114 acres. Fire discovered July 24. Containment and cost information not available.
• Consalus, about 20 miles north of Newport: 475 acres. Fire discovered June 30. 50% contained. Costs estimated at $10,000,000.
• John Day Dam, about 9 miles southeast of Goldendale: 60 acres. Fire discovered July 8. Containment and cost information not available.
• Airplane Lake, about 50 miles northwest of Chelan: 6 acres. Fire discovered July 7. 0% contained. Costs estimated at $50,000.
• Badger, about five miles northeast of Wenatchee. 473 acres. Fire discovered July 20. 100% contained. Costs estimated at $820,000.
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.