FIRE REPORT: Yakima Valley fire threatens town, Pioneer Fire swells again
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 4 months AGO
The Beam Road Fire in the Yakima Valley threatened homes and crops Saturday, but by Monday was partially contained and all evacuation notices had been downgraded to level 1.
COURTESY PHOTO/ALERTWILDFIRE
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. | June 18, 2024 1:20 AM
MOSES LAKE — Evacuation notices for the Yakima Valley town of Zillah were downgraded Monday to level 1 as crews fight the Beam Road Fire, which flared up Saturday afternoon. The fire was 42% contained at 8,542 acres, and costs were estimated at $1.5 million, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. State fire assistance was mobilized Saturday to fight the blaze, which spread rapidly in high winds and dry grass and threatened homes, crops, main power lines and livestock.
The Pioneer Fire on the shore of Lake Chelan about 30 miles northwest of Wenatchee continues to grow and was up to more than 3,800 acres Monday. Eight aircraft and 353 personnel were dedicated to fighting the blaze located in an uninhabited area with steep terrain that has impeded suppression efforts. The fire was human-caused, according to the Department of Natural Resources, but the specific cause is still under investigation.
These other fires were also burning in Washington on Monday, according to the NIFC:
• The Camas Road fire in Wapato, about 11 miles southeast of Yakima, was at 72 acres Monday. Information about containment and costs was not yet available.
• The Neff Road fire, discovered Saturday about 20 miles northeast of Pasco, was at 250 acres Monday. Cost and containment information were not available.
• The Nisqually John Fire, discovered Friday morning about 10 miles northwest of Lewiston, Idaho, was fully contained Monday at 1,207 acres. The cause was unknown, and costs are estimated at $211,297.
• The Rest Haven Fire, on the eastern outskirts of Yakima, had burned 45 acres since its discovery May 30. The fire was human-caused and containment and cost information was not available Monday.
• The Stetson Fire, about 9 miles north of Yakima, was discovered May 19 and remained at 10 acres Monday. The cause of the fire was human activity. Containment and cost information was not available.
A few 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
Endless battle
Noxious Weed Control Board works to keep invasive plants under control
MOSES LAKE — Some of the nastiest plants in Grant County were the topic of a class led by Jay Johnson, a consultant with the Grant County Noxious Weed Control Board, Tuesday. The Noxious Weed Control Board, as its name would suggest, is tasked with keeping weeds under control in Grant County. That’s not a small job; the board’s website lists 129 species of noxious weeds that are found around Grant County. A noxious weed is defined as an invasive, non-native plant that threatens agricultural crops, local ecosystems or fish and wildlife habitat, according to the Noxious Weed Control Board. Washington state law requires that these weeds be identified and their spread kept to a minimum, if not completely eradicated. “We’re one of those agencies a lot of people don’t really understand,” Johnson said. “We’re a county office and … our funding is tax-based assessment. When you get your tax bill and you look down at all the expenses that you pay for, there we are.”
BASIN EVENTS: Oct. 16-24
COLUMBIA BASIN — Whether you feel like shopping, crafting, learning or seeing a show, there’s something happening for you this week in the Basin. Oct. 16 ‘My Family (Mi Familia)’ screening Spanning three generations, “My Family (Mi Familia)” is a heartfelt drama that follows the Sánchez family as they build their lives in East Los Angeles. Through love, hardship, triumph, and sacrifice, the film explores the immigrant experience, the strength of family bonds, and the traditions that connect one generation to the next. Lowrider show and taco truck before the screening. Sponsored by Columbia Basin Allied Arts, EDUBS C/S and the Moses Lake Creative District. $12 per person. Doors open at 6 p.m., film begins at 7 p.m. at the Moses Lake Civic Center Auditorium, 401 S. Balsam St. Tickets and info: www.cba-arts.org.
Moses Lake author encourages women to look beyond church culture norms
MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake author’s book, “A Christian Woman Striving to Live Her Faith in a Man-Controlled World,” takes aim at the role to which many churches relegate the female half of their congregations. “It’s to encourage women in the faith,” Linda Curran said. “A lot of churches say, ‘Teach Sunday school, do this, do that, but don’t (evangelize.)’" In her book, Curran recounts a time when she moved to a new community and joined a church there. She was surprised to learn that, as a new female member, she had been automatically assigned church cleaning duties. When she questioned it, she wrote, she was met with condescension and her objections were brushed aside. In other churches, she said, women who were capable of teaching were relegated to “women’s ministry.”