FIRE REPORT: Fires spring up in Wenatchee, Mansfield areas
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 1 month AGO
The Balsam Root Fire burning just outside Wenatchee had grown to 250 acres Saturday.
DNR PHOTO
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 8, 2024 1:15 AM
MANSFIELD — The Road 11 Fire burning about 12 miles southwest of Mansfield was 50% contained Saturday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The brush fire, which was ignited Thursday afternoon and grew to 800 acres, was one of the sources of smoke noticeable in the air in Grant and Adams counties, according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.
The Balsam Root Fire that flared up Friday on the northwestern edge of Wenatchee was 30% contained Saturday at 250 acres, according to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.
The Pioneer Fire on the eastern shore of Lake Chelan was still 14% contained Saturday and mapped at 5,464 acres, according to the NIFC. The cause was undetermined, and suppression costs were estimated at $35 million.
These other fires were also burning in Washington on Tuesday, according to the NIFC:
• The 1980 Slide Ranch Fire, discovered June 22 about 20 miles southwest of Yakima, was 95% contained Saturday and had grown to 3,166 acres. The fire was human-caused, and costs were estimated at $4 million.
• The Daisy Fire, on Lake Roosevelt about 47 miles northeast of Grand Coulee, was discovered Thursday evening and had grown to 10 acres. Cause, containment and cost information were not available.
• The Diamondback Ridge Fire, near Zillah in the Yakima Valley, had burned 300 acres since its discovery May 17. Cost and containment information was not available Saturday.
• The Gold Creek Fire, discovered June 22 in the Methow Valley about 31 miles southwest of Omak, was fully contained at 278 acres Saturday, Costs were estimated at $1.7 million. The cause of the blaze was undetermined.
• The Neff Road Fire, discovered June 15 about 20 miles northeast of Pasco, remained at 250 acres Saturday. It was fully contained and costs were estimated at $5,000.
• The Sand Flat Fire about 2 miles northeast of Omak was discovered Thursday afternoon and had grown to 120 acres Saturday. The cause was undetermined.
• The Seven Dairy Spring Fire, discovered June 30 in Lincoln County about 20 miles northeast of Odessa, held steady at 28.3 acres Saturday. The cause had been determined to be natural. Cost and containment information was not available.
• The Sheep Company Fire about 10 miles north of Yakima was discovered in the early morning hours of Saturday and was at 330 acres by afternoon. Cost and containment information was not yet available.
• The South Fork Fire, about 35 miles west of Yakima, had burned about 27 acres since its discovery June 27. The cause was natural. Costs were estimated at $1 million.
• The Thorp Road Fire that flared up Friday morning about 5 miles south of Yakima was 50% contained Saturday at 3,000 acres. Suppression costs were estimated at $250,000.
Other fires reported throughout the state have burned less than 10 acres and are not included in this report. The majority are less than 1 acre.
Air quality was good in the Columbia Basin on Saturday, according to the website AirNow, which is operated by a consortium of government agencies. The air was deemed unhealthy for sensitive groups in the area around Lake Chelan and moderate in the surrounding area and as far south as Wenatchee. The Air Quality Index, or AQI, was forecast to be good the rest of the week in the Basin.
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.