FIRE REPORT: Wilson Creek fire crisps 180 acres
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 11 months 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 19, 2024 3:15 AM
WILSON CREEK — A wildfire was reported at about 4 p.m. Thursday north of the town of Wilson Creek and west of Road 3 NE which had burned an estimated 180 acres by about 7 p.m. according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies on boats were dispatched to Billy Clapp Lake to clear boaters out of an area needed so that helicopters could dip water out of the lake to fight the fire, dubbed the Wilson Creek fire. The city was not threatened by the fire as of press time, and the fire was reported as being in mop-up by GCSO Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman shortly after 7:30 p.m.
“It’s under control, but hand crews will need to start putting out the hotspots,” Foreman said. “We have a request in for a small group of state resources to relieve the local resources.”
Foreman said it appeared the fire would be officially out sometime Friday after the mop-up was completed.
The fire did cause the temporary closure of Road R NE from Wilson Creek to Road 31 NE.
Grant County Fire Districts 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12 and 13 along with the Eprhata Fire Department, Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Land Management, Washington Department of Natural Resources and GCSO responded to the Wilson Creek blaze. MACC 911 and the Central Washington Interagency Coordination Center helped coordinate the response to the blaze as well.
Moses Lake Fire Department firefighters were called out to a fire that ignited in a vacant lot on West Sandy Street at the west end of Moses Lake, according to a statement from the MLFD.
When the first firefighters arrived at the scene at 9:30 p.m, Wednesday, they found an outside fire that was threatening three homes and an outbuilding. No homes were damaged in the blaze, but one outbuilding sustained external damage. The fire was contained at about 3 acres, and crews cleared the scene at 11:42 p.m. Firefighters returned Thursday to look for hot spots.
The fire was thought to have been caused by a tree that was blown into a power line by winds that reached 52 miles per hour, according to the statement.
High winds also stirred up some hot spots in the wetland that had burned Monday morning, according to MLFD Chief Brett Bastian, but they were quickly extinguished.
A small wildland fire in Electric City was quickly knocked down by the Electric City Volunteer Fire Department, according to a statement from the Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Department, which also responded to the call.
The Pioneer Fire, which has been growing steadily on the eastern shore of Lake Chelan since June 8, was up to 25,688 acres Wednesday and still 14% contained. A level three — get out now — evacuation notice was in place for the area south of Hazard Creek, which is a bit less than 3 miles from the community of Stehekin. Stehekin itself remained at level 1 — get ready.
These other fires were also burning in Washington on Thursday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center:
• The Cougar Creek Fire, which was discovered Monday in the Blue Mountains about 50 miles east of Walla Walla, had grown to 3,091 acres Thursday and was uncontained. Costs were estimated at $20 million.
• The Donkey Fire, discovered Friday about 30 miles northwest of Longview, remained fully contained Thursday at 38 acres. Cost of suppression was estimated at $986,450. The cause was listed as human activity.
The Easy Fire, discovered Wednesday about 58 miles northwest of Omak, was mapped at 100 acres Thursday. The cause was listed as natural and costs were estimated at $5 million.
• The Shoofly Fire in the Cascades about 45 miles northwest of Wenatchee remained 56% contained Thursday at 104 acres. The fire has been burning since July 8. Cost of suppressing the blaze was calculated at $10 million.
• The Wallace Walker Fire, discovered Monday about 33 miles northeast of Pasco, remained at 561 acres Thursday. Cost and containment information was not available.
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 moderate Thursday for the Basin, according to the website AirNow, which is operated by a consortium of government agencies.
A Moses Lake Fire Department crew waters down the scene of a fire that broke out during Wednesday evening’s wind storm.ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
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MLCC to host conversational town hall Thursday
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