FIRE REPORT: Local firefighters train for the busy season
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 3 months AGO
Volunteers and career firefighters with Grant County Fire District 7 continue their training Monday in wildland-urban interface structure defense.
COURTESY PHOTO/GCFD 7
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 19, 2024 1:44 AM
SOAP LAKE — Grant County Fire District 7 volunteers and staff have been training for wildland-urban interface structure defense in preparation for wildfire season, according to an announcement from GCFD 7. Training Monday night was available remotely, but next week will include hands-on training in evaluating structures and determining escape routes, safety zones and temporary refuge areas.
The Pioneer Fire on the shore of Lake Chelan about 30 miles northwest of Wenatchee held more or less steady Tuesday at 3,811 acres. Green fuels and a northwesterly wind slowed the fire’s northward progression, according to the Department of Natural Resources, although the blaze is still moving southward.
“Due to the rugged terrain and lack of infrastructure within the wilderness, the fire is likely to continue burning for some time,” the DNR wrote in a bulletin. “Fire personnel are developing long-term suppression strategies for potential use later this summer.”
The Beam Road Fire, which threatened the town of Zillah in the Yakima Valley, was 93% contained Tuesday at 8,542 acres, and costs were estimated at $1.5 million, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
These other fires were also burning in Washington on Monday, according to the NIFC:
• The Neff Road Fire, discovered Saturday about 20 miles northeast of Pasco, had grown to 1,439 acres Tuesday. It was fully contained and costs were estimated at $5,000.
• The Nisqually John Fire, discovered Friday morning about 10 miles northwest of Lewiston, Idaho, was fully contained Tuesday at 1,207 acres. 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. Containment and cost information was not available Tuesday. The blaze was attributed to human activity.
• The 19.2-acre Warden Fire, discovered Monday about 25 miles northwest of Olympia, was 75% contained Tuesday afternoon. The cause of the fire was unknown and 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.”