Wildfire update for June 30, 2023
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 3 months AGO
The National Weather Service has issued a fire weather watch that includes Grant and Adams counties.
SOURCE: NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
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. | June 30, 2023 1:30 AM
MOSES LAKE — The National Weather Service has issued a fire weather watch for Adams, Chelan, Douglas, Grant and Okanogan counties, according to an announcement from the NWS. The warning is in effect from Saturday morning through Saturday evening.
A fire weather watch means that critical fire weather conditions are forecast to occur, the statement said.
The NWS predicted gusty west winds and dry conditions for the day. West winds will increase across the Waterville Plateau and down the Okanogan Friday night into Saturday, and peak Saturday afternoon and evening. Strengthening high pressure will result in dry conditions through Saturday night. Elevated fire weather conditions may lead to rapid spread of new fires, the announcement added.
The Roza Creek wildfire, located above the Yakima River Canyon between Yakima and Ellensburg, has currently burned about 486 acres, according to a statement from the Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team. At one point the units on scene had the fire about 70% contained, when a weather event came through and wind carried embers over the fire lines, the statement said. The fire’s status is now uncontained.
These wildfires were also burning in Washington as of Thursday afternoon, according to the National Interagency Fire Center and the NOAA Office of Satellite and Product Operations:
• Oasis, about seven miles west of Touchet: 4,250 acres. Fire discovered June 19.
• South Satus, about 14 miles southeast of Toppenish: 997 acres. Fire discovered June 13.
• Hansen Road, about one mile south of Benton City: 6,289 acres. Fire discovered June 13.
• Ruppert Road, about three miles north of Benton City: 155 acres. Fire discovered June 13.
• Hover Park, three miles southeast of Finley: 528 acres. Fire discovered June 13.
• Methow, south end of Wenatchee: 150 acres. Fire discovered June 27.
• Pete’s Creek, nine miles northwest of Pateros: 6.5 acres. Fire discovered June 25.
• Catherine Creek, 10 miles northwest of Curlew: 1 acre. Fire discovered June 27.
• Charles, about 17 miles northwest of Spokane: 12.3 acres. Fire discovered June 29.
• Beehive, about 15 miles northeast of Omak: 27 acres. Fire discovered June 28.
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.”