FIRE REPORT: Annual burn ban ends Sept. 30 as fires continue across state
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 11 months AGO
An excavator works at the Cowlitz Complex Monday. The complex of 30 fires has been burning since Aug. 25 and is 39% contained.
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 25, 2023 5:07 PM
MOSES LAKE — The burn ban in Grant and Adams counties ends Saturday, according to Grant County Fire District 3’s website. Once the ban is lifted, the normal regulations will apply to residential and agricultural burning, the website said. For residential burning in unincorporated Grant County, one pile of natural vegetation 4 feet by 4 feet by 3 feet may be burned at least 50 feet from structures and 500 feet from forest slash, provided the person doing the burning stays in attendance the whole time with a way to extinguish the fire, the smoke doesn’t affect the neighbors and the fire is out before dark. Adams County allows unincorporated residents to burn a single pile of vegetation no more than 10 feet in diameter and 10 feet in height, with the stipulation that the person burning be present with fire extinguishers or hoses connected to a water supply. Burning is prohibited by state law within any city limits, and the use of burn barrels is always illegal.
Nine prescribed fires were burning 2,465 acres in Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens and Pend Oreille counties Monday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. A prescribed burn is a controlled application of fire by a team of fire experts under specified weather conditions to restore health to ecosystems that depend on fire, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Fire danger remains high over most of central and eastern Washington, according to the DNR. Air quality was good to moderate for the Columbia Basin on Monday, with air quality indices ranging from 50 in Ephrata and Ritzville to 89 in Othello. An AQI of 50 or less is considered good and between 51 and 100 is moderate. Moderate air quality means that the air is generally safe but people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution could be at some risk.
These fires were burning Monday in Washington, according to data from the National Interagency Fire Center:
Airplane Lake: This blaze about 53 miles northwest of Wenatchee remained at 6,677 acres Monday and costs are estimated at $500,000. It is still reported as uncontained and no cause has been identified. It was discovered July 7.
Blue Lake: This blaze, discovered July 29 about 53 miles west of Omak was still 80% contained Monday at 1,074 acres. Costs were estimated at $5.75 million.
Chocolate Creek: This blaze about 58 miles northwest of Wenatchee was still uncontained Monday, and held steady at 38 acres. Costs were estimated at $90,000.
Cowlitz Complex: This 30-fire complex in the Cascades between Mount Rainier and the Columbia River was 39% contained at 731 acres Monday. A half-inch of rain that fell on the area Sunday decreased fire activity.
Delabarre: This fire in Olympic National Park held steady at 3,658 acres Monday and was still uncontained. Estimated costs were $5 million. The fire was discovered Sept. 1.
Diamond Mountain: This fire about 25 miles south of Port Angeles was discovered Sept. 1 and remained at 30 acres Monday. The cause was determined to be natural. It was uncontained and costs were estimated at $10,000.
Dome Peak: This fire, located in the Mt. Baker National Forest, was still uncontained as of Monday and had burned 1,477 acres. The fire was reported July 29. Costs were estimated at $100,000.
Eagle Bluff: This fire, southwest of Oroville near the Canadian border, has burned 16,428 acres. The fire has cost about $9.9 million and was fully contained Monday. The cause is unknown.
Eagle Point: Discovered Aug. 29 about 12 miles south of Port Angeles, this fire was still uncontained at 128 acres Monday. Costs were estimated at $100,000.
Evans Road: This fire discovered Sept. 22 had burned 11 acres Monday about 26 miles northeast of Longview. Cost and containment information was not available.
Gray: Discovered Aug. 18 about 17 miles west of Spokane, it was still 99% contained at 10,085 acres Monday. The fire was determined to be caused by human activity and costs were estimated at $10.4 million.
Kindy Creek: Discovered Aug. 18 in the Cascades above Lake Chelan about 75 miles northwest of Wenatchee, this blaze remained at 210 acres Monday. It was uncontained and costs were estimated at $90,000.
Low Divide: This fire in the Olympic National Forest was discovered Sept. 1 and remained at 312 acres Monday. It was uncontained and costs were estimated at $125,000. The cause was determined to be natural.
Martin Lake: This fire in the Olympic National Forest was discovered Sept. 1 and was still at 108 acres Monday. It was uncontained and costs were estimated at $50,000.
Sourdough: Burning in the Ross Lake National Recreation Area in the north Cascades since July 29, it was 25% contained Monday at 7,377 acres. Costs are estimated at $24 million.
Several other fires are reported throughout the state but have burned less than 10 acres and are not included in this report.
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.