FIRE REPORT: Moses Lake sends crews to Lake Chelan fire
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 1 month AGO
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 11, 2024 1:00 AM
MOSES LAKE — The Pioneer Fire burning along the eastern shore of Lake Chelan is still growing, and was at 12,265 acres Wednesday, according to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Containment remained at 14%. The fire, which has been burning since June 8, is being fought by 818 personnel, including six firefighters from the Moses Lake Fire Department, according to MLFD spokesperson Heather Kok.
“We have one firefighter that's been up there since the 26th of June,” Kok said Wednesday. “We have two firefighters who have been offering medical support since the 29th of June, and then we just sent another crew of three up yesterday.”
A fire sprang up in the steep ground overlooking the Snake River outside Clarkston in southeastern Washington on Tuesday afternoon. The fire, dubbed the Red Wolf Fire, was quickly brought under control with aircraft, as many parts of the terrain were inaccessible to firefighters on the ground. The blaze was fully contained Wednesday at 10 acres.
“Fire managers stated (that) without the quick help from (Clarkston-based helicopter service) Leading Aviation, the fire could have (run) up the hill and consumed thousands of acres,” Asotin County Fire District No. 1 wrote in a statement. “The very skilled pilots were hitting flames with water, while maneuvering around high voltage power lines.”
These other fires were also burning in Washington on Wednesday, according to the NIFC:
• The 507 fire about 16 miles southeast of Olympia was discovered Tuesday afternoon and had grown to 10 acres Wednesday. The cause was human activity, but cost and containment information were unavailable.
• The 1980 Slide Ranch Fire, discovered June 22 about 20 miles southwest of Yakima, was 99% contained Tuesday at 3,166 acres. The fire was human-caused, and costs were estimated at $4 million.
• The Balsam Root Fire on the northwest outskirts of Wenatchee was fully contained Wednesday at 305 acres. Suppression costs were estimated at $446,859.
• The Gold Creek Fire, discovered June 22 in the Methow Valley about 31 miles southwest of Omak, remained fully contained at 278 acres Wednesday. Costs were estimated at $1.7 million. The cause of the blaze was undetermined.
• The Joe Barker Fire in northern Walla Walla County about 43 miles northeast of Pasco, was discovered July 3. It was fully contained at 1,436 acres and suppression costs were estimated at $30,000.
• The Middle Mountain Fire about 34 miles northeast of Grand Coulee was discovered July 4 and was 80% contained at 14.2 acres Wednesday. Costs were estimated at $3 million. The cause was reported to be natural.
• The Morgan Lake Fire in the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge was discovered July 3 and remained at 120 acres Wednesday. Cost and containment information was not available.
• The Mutual Aid 20151 Fire, discovered June 27 just a few miles southwest of Clarkston, remained at 50 acres Wednesday. Cost and containment information was not yet available and the cause was undetermined.
• The Road 11 Fire burning about 12 miles southwest of Mansfield was fully contained Wednesday at 840 acres. Costs were estimated at $209,000.
• The Sand Flat Fire about 2 miles northeast of Omak was discovered July 4 and remained at 120 acres Wednesday. The cause was undetermined and cost and containment information was not available.
• The Shoofly Fire in the Cascades about 45 miles northwest of Wenatchee was still uncontained Wednesday at 125 acres. Estimated cost was $1 million.
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 Grant and Adams counties Wednesday, according to the website AirNow, which is operated by a consortium of government agencies.
Joel Martin may be reached by email at [email protected].
A helicopter drops a load of water on the Red Wolf Fire along the Snake River near Clarkston.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.