FIRE REPORT: Residential fire quenched in George Monday
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 12 months AGO
A residential fire broke out in George Monday morning but was quickly brought under control.
GCSO PHOTO
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. | September 10, 2024 1:30 AM
GEORGE — A residential fire broke out Monday morning in the 100 block of Montmorency Boulevard in George, according to a statement from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. It was under control by 8 a.m., according to the statement.
Largest Washington fires:
Pioneer Fire – Washington’s largest wildfire. 38,735 acres. 23% containment. Began around 1 p.m. June 8. Located 10 miles southeast of Stehekin. Costs estimated at $105 million.
Cougar Creek Fire – Washington’s second-largest fire. 24,091 acres. 100% contained. Blazed up at 8 p.m. July 15. Located south of Walla Walla. Costs estimated at $35 million.
Williams Mine Fire – Washington’s third-largest wildfire – 13,057 acres. 31% contained. Started noon Aug. 5. Located near Mount Adams Wilderness in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Costs estimated at $35 million.
Three new fires:
Swauk Creek Fire – 100 acres. Started Sunday at 3:34 p.m., 17 miles northwest of Ellensburg.
Wynnie Fire – 12.3 acres. Started at 9:31 a.m. Monday, 14 miles northwest of Wenatchee.
Beaver Canyon Fire – 40 acres. Started at 11:52 a.m. Monday, 22 miles east of Oroville.
Other fires:
Blewett Fire – 15 acres. 99% containment. Started 2:23 p.m. Sept. 4. near Blewett Pass. Costs estimated at $800,000.
Easy Fire – 2,130 acres. 39% containment. Began 8 p.m. July 17. Located 17 miles west of Mazama along North Cascades Scenic Highway. Costs estimated at $15 million.
Huckleberry Ridge Fire – 293 acres. 0% containment. Started Sept. 4. Located about 25 miles northwest of Longview.
Miners Complex Fires – 1,098 acres. 0% containment. Began on July 17. Located 21 miles east of Darrington. Costs estimated at $500,000.
Pincer Two Fire – 189 acres. 0% containment. Began on July 18. Located 1 mile east of Mineral Park. Costs estimated at $500,000.
Ruby Fire – 1,300 acres. 0% containment. Began 7 a.m. Friday. Located in Whatcom County. Costs estimated at $5 million.
Sand Piper Fire – 24 acres. Discovered Sept. 4 at 2:24 p.m. on the Washington side of the Columbia River about 22 miles west of Umatilla, Ore.
Shoofly Fire – 104 acres. 91% contained. Ignited on July 8. Located 9 miles north of Stevens Pass. Costs estimated at $10 million.
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.
The Columbia Basin’s wildfire danger continues to be very high. The Grant County Sheriff’s office has asked area residents to be careful with anything that could cause a wildfire.
Air quality was good Monday for the Columbia Basin.
SOURCES: InciWeb/NIFC/WildCAD/AirNow
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.