Wildfire update for June 30, 2023
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 2 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
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.