FIRE REPORT: Local firefighters train for the busy season
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 2 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
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.