Fire report: Burn barrel triggers wildfire near Ephrata
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 9 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. | May 21, 2024 5:20 PM
EPHRATA — A 10-acre wildfire started Monday evening after an unsupervised burn barrel spread to nearby vegetation in the area of Naylor Junction, southwest of Ephrata, according to a statement from Grant County Fire District 13. A quick response had the wind-driven fire contained within 20 minutes of the call, but mopping up took two-plus hours for 10 trucks. Nothing was damaged, although if the fire had gone unreported or unchecked several minutes longer property damage would have likely resulted, the district wrote.
Burn barrels have been illegal in Washington since 2000, according to GCFD 13, whether they’re attended or not.
These other wildfires were burning around Washington Tuesday afternoon:
• The Page Road Fire, discovered Sunday, held steady Tuesday 150 acres about 19 miles northeast of Pasco, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The cause of the blaze was unknown, and containment information was not available.
• The Monument Fire, discovered Sunday at Ice Harbor Dam on the Snake River about 10 miles east of Pasco, was at 80 acres Tuesday. The cause was undetermined and no containment information was available.
• The Diamondback Ridge Fire, about 17 miles southeast of Yakima near Zillah, was discovered about 11:30 a.m. Friday and held steady at 300 acres Tuesday. The cause was unknown, and containment information was not yet available.
• The Moxee Valley fire, discovered May 16 just southeast of Yakima, had burned 20 acres Tuesday. The cause was unknown and containment information was not available.
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Space Burger booth open March 13-15
MOSES LAKE — Those who can’t wait for the Grant County Fair can get their Space Burger fix next weekend, according to an announcement from the Lioness Club of Moses Lake. The iconic Grant County sandwiches will be available at the Grant County Fairgrounds March 13-15, according to the announcement. There is no admission fee to get into the fairgrounds that weekend.
SENIOR EVENTS: March 2026
COLUMBIA BASIN — Plays, art shows, auctions and more await seniors in the Columbia Basin this month. Here are some opportunities to get out and about in March.
Valentine’s Day cards flood Brookdale Hearthstone with love
MOSES LAKE — Residents at Brookdale Hearthstone Assisted Living in Moses Lake got Valentine’s Day greetings from across the country last month. “I believe that the only states we have not received (cards from) yet are Vermont and Maine,” Lifestyle Director Imelda Broyles said Feb. 24. “We keep receiving new cards every single day. They have not stopped. My residents are in awe with every single one of the cards that we’ve been receiving.” The Hearts Across America project started as a way for children in school classrooms to exchange Valentine’s Day cards with classes in other states or even countries, but the idea has expanded to senior living facilities, according to the project’s social media.