Regional fire report for July 27
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 2 months AGO
An aerial view of the Wawawai fire about five miles west of Pullman.
COURTESY PHOTO/NWIIMT
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 1:30 AM
PULLMAN — The Wawawai fire, about five miles west of Pullman, had burned 526 acres Wednesday, according to a statement from the Northeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team.
The fire, which was discovered Monday evening, is located about two miles from Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River and about a mile and a half from Wawawai County Park. Level 1 evacuation notices (“Be ready”) have been issued for a small area between the river and Wawawai-Pullman Road, according to the NWIIMT. 170 personnel are on site, the statement added.
The reported cause is lightning, according to the NWIIMT statement. The blaze is 0% contained and the estimated cost was $100,000, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
The Newell Road fire, about 17 miles east of Goldendale, has grown to 59,848 acres, according to the NIFC. SR 14 was closed in both direction from U.S. 97 to SR 221, about 14 miles west of the Umatilla Bridge. It was 40% contained Wednesday with costs estimated at $5,000,000.
These wildfires were also burning in Washington Wednesday, according to the NIFC:
• Green Canyon, about 11 miles north of Davenport: 20 acres. Fire discovered July 25, Containment and cost information not available.
• Newell Road, about 17 miles east of Goldendale: 59,848 acres. 40% 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.
• Consalus, about 20 miles north of Newport: 475 acres. Fire discovered June 30. 40% 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
Endless battle
Noxious Weed Control Board works to keep invasive plants under control
MOSES LAKE — Some of the nastiest plants in Grant County were the topic of a class led by Jay Johnson, a consultant with the Grant County Noxious Weed Control Board, Tuesday. The Noxious Weed Control Board, as its name would suggest, is tasked with keeping weeds under control in Grant County. That’s not a small job; the board’s website lists 129 species of noxious weeds that are found around Grant County. A noxious weed is defined as an invasive, non-native plant that threatens agricultural crops, local ecosystems or fish and wildlife habitat, according to the Noxious Weed Control Board. Washington state law requires that these weeds be identified and their spread kept to a minimum, if not completely eradicated. “We’re one of those agencies a lot of people don’t really understand,” Johnson said. “We’re a county office and … our funding is tax-based assessment. When you get your tax bill and you look down at all the expenses that you pay for, there we are.”
BASIN EVENTS: Oct. 16-24
COLUMBIA BASIN — Whether you feel like shopping, crafting, learning or seeing a show, there’s something happening for you this week in the Basin. Oct. 16 ‘My Family (Mi Familia)’ screening Spanning three generations, “My Family (Mi Familia)” is a heartfelt drama that follows the Sánchez family as they build their lives in East Los Angeles. Through love, hardship, triumph, and sacrifice, the film explores the immigrant experience, the strength of family bonds, and the traditions that connect one generation to the next. Lowrider show and taco truck before the screening. Sponsored by Columbia Basin Allied Arts, EDUBS C/S and the Moses Lake Creative District. $12 per person. Doors open at 6 p.m., film begins at 7 p.m. at the Moses Lake Civic Center Auditorium, 401 S. Balsam St. Tickets and info: www.cba-arts.org.
Moses Lake author encourages women to look beyond church culture norms
MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake author’s book, “A Christian Woman Striving to Live Her Faith in a Man-Controlled World,” takes aim at the role to which many churches relegate the female half of their congregations. “It’s to encourage women in the faith,” Linda Curran said. “A lot of churches say, ‘Teach Sunday school, do this, do that, but don’t (evangelize.)’" In her book, Curran recounts a time when she moved to a new community and joined a church there. She was surprised to learn that, as a new female member, she had been automatically assigned church cleaning duties. When she questioned it, she wrote, she was met with condescension and her objections were brushed aside. In other churches, she said, women who were capable of teaching were relegated to “women’s ministry.”