FIRE REPORT: Residential fire quenched in George Monday
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 1 month 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
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.”