Sourdough fire slowing down, Cowlitz Complex costs rise
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 12 months AGO
The Sourdough Fire, as seen from SR 20 over Gorge Lake Sept. 1. The fire is showing signs of slowing down, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Courtesy photo/U.S. Forest 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. | September 7, 2023 6:02 PM
MOSES LAKE — With cooler temperatures, higher humidity, and light rains over several days, the Sourdough Fire has had minimal growth and low areas of heat, according to a statement from the U.S. Forest Service. The fire was at 6,234 acres with 30% containment Thursday.
The Cowlitz Complex of fires in Gifford Pinchot National Forest between Mount Rainier and the Columbia River was 12% contained Thursday and holding fairly steady at 697 acres, according to the Forest Service. Estimated costs had risen to $5.9 million.
These fires were also burning or were recently extinguished Thursday, according to data from the National Interagency Fire Center:
• Blue Lake: This blaze about 53 miles west of Omak was still 1,074 acres Thursday but containment had increased to 39%. Costs were estimated at $5 million. It was discovered July 29.
• Salmo Basin: This fire, on the Canadian border 55 miles north of Newport, stood at 75 acres Thursday. The blaze was discovered July 30. Containment information was not available. Costs are estimated at $500,000.
• Yellepit: This fire, discovered Sept. 1 about 14 miles southeast of Kennewick on the Columbia River, has burned 1,582 acres. It was 100% contained Thursday and costs were estimated at $100,000.
• Oregon Road: This fire discovered Aug. 18 about 31 miles north of Spokane was 92% contained at 10,817 acres Thursday. Costs are estimated at $13.5 million.
• Tieton Grade: Discovered Aug. 18 about 12 miles northwest of Yakima, this fire burned 20 acres and was human-caused. Containment and cost information was not available Thursday.
• Lake Whatcom: Discovered Aug. 28 about 9 miles southeast of Bellingham, this fire was 90% contained at 40 acres Thursday. Costs were estimated at $700,000.
• Kindy Creek: Discovered Aug. 18 in the mountains above Lake Chelan about 75 miles northwest of Wenatchee, this blaze was still at 197 acres Thursday. It was uncontained and costs were estimated at $90,000.
• Eagle Point: Discovered Aug. 29 about 12 miles south of Port Angeles, this fire held steady at 105 acres Thursday and costs were estimated at $100,000. Containment information was unavailable.
• Diamond Mountain: This fire about 25 miles south of Port Angeles, was discovered Sept. 1 and had burned 20 acres Thursday. Cost and containment information was not available. The cause was determined to be natural.
• Chocolate Creek: This blaze about 58 miles northwest of Wenatchee was still uncontained Thursday, but the acreage had decreased to 15. Costs were estimated at $90,000.
• Dome Peak: This fire, located northeast of Mt. Baker National Forest, was still uncontained as of Thursday and was holding steady at 1,076 acres. The fire was reported July 29. Costs were estimated at $100,000.
• Airplane Lake: This blaze about 53 miles northwest of Wenatchee had grown to 5,160 acres Thursday and costs are estimated at $500,000. It is reported as uncontained and no cause has been identified. It was discovered July 7.
• Gray: discovered Aug. 18 about 17 miles west of Spokane, it was 98% contained at 10,085 acres Thursday. The fire was determined to be caused by human activity and costs were estimated at $10 million.
• Eagle Bluff: This blaze, southwest of Oroville near the Canadian border, has burned 16,428 acres. The fire has cost about $9.9 million and was 90% contained Thursday. The cause of the fire is unknown.
• Huckleberry Flats: This fire was discovered Aug. 19 about 41 miles east of Everett and was 100% contained at 134 acres Thursday. It was human-caused and costs were estimated at $1 million.
• Winona: The fire, discovered Aug. 18, had burned 2,525 acres about 35 miles northwest of Pullman and was 90% contained Thursday. Costs were estimated at $300,000.
• Toothaker: 300 acres burned about 8 miles southeast of Kennewick. The fire was discovered Aug. 17. It was 100% contained Thursday with costs estimated at $350,000.
• Consalus Incident: Around 475 acres burned near the Idaho border due east of the Little Oreille National Wildlife Refuge. The fire has cost about $12 million and is 100% contained. Authorities report that the cause of the fire is natural.
Several other fires are reported throughout the state but have burned less than 10 acres and are not included in this report. The majority are less than 1 acre.
Joel Martin may be reached by email at [email protected].
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.