FIRE REPORT: Nearly 7,000-acre fire burning near Kettle Falls
NANCE BESTON | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 3 months AGO
The Hope Fire started Tuesday at around 50 acres but quickly grew and is now around 6,800 acres. The fire is uncontained and the largest blaze in Washington as of Thursday.
COURTESY PHOTO/KITTITAS COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT 6
The Hope Fire, near Kettle Falls, has scorched around 6,800 acres and is uncontained as of Thursday. The fire has destroyed two homes.
KETTLE FALLS – The Hope Fire has burned around 6,800 acres and is uncontained as of Thursday, according to InciWeb. This is the largest fire burning in Washington as of Thursday.
“As far as we know, there might be (a) little bit of fire growth going on due to the inversion lifting over parts of the fire, but we don't have big winds on it today,” Public Information Officer Gayne Sears with Northeast Washington Interagency Type 3 said.
The fire started Tuesday at around 1 p.m., about 15 miles north of Kettle Falls. The fire started at around 50 acres and quickly spread. By the end of the day, the fire was closer to 1,000 acres, according to InciWeb. A wind front came in that caused the fire to spread further, according to Sears.
“On Wednesday, we had a cold front passage that contributed to a decent amount of growth,” Sears said. “Maybe 2000 acres on the first day, and then another 2000 on the second day, and another 2000 on the third day.”
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. There are several evacuation orders in place, ranging from Level One “Be Ready” to Level Three “Go.”
There are a total of 277 personnel working on the fire as of Thursday. However, on Friday morning, a complex incident management team will be coming in to take control of the fire, according to Sears.
“This fire has become more complex and a larger number of people (are needed) to manage, so we have some more staff and some more expertise that's coming to manage the fire for some amount of time,” Sears said.
Going into the weekend, fire crews will continue to use heavy equipment and aerial resources to help protect the public and nearby structures.
“They will continue to use those where the terrain and visibility conditions allow, like when there's an inversion and the pilots can't see the ground. They are unable to fly due to safety reasons,” Sears said.
There have been two homes lost to the fire as of Thursday and an unknown number of structures, according to Sears.
“Trying to work on containment lines,” Sears said. “We are focused on the areas that are closest to the private property and residences on the south, nearest Rosa the Columbia River. As it moves more northerly, it goes into private forest lands, and then eventually in some DNR lands, and then eventually onto the National Forest. But it hasn't really gotten to the National Forest yet, or very much.”
Other fires:
Apple Acres Fire has blackened nearly 3,400 acres and is 80% contained as of Thursday, according to Watch Duty. The fire started July 2 near the town of Azwell in Okanagan County. There was a level one evacuation advisory in place, but it was lifted Thursday, according to Okanogan County Emergency Management. OCEM said in a statement that there will likely be no more updates on the fire since the lines are fully established. However, OCEM will continue to monitor the fire until it is fully contained and mopped.
Bear Gulch Fire has charred around 400 acres and has no containment as of Thursday, according to InciWeb. The fire is located near Mt. Rose Trailhead along the Lake Cushman Corridor. The fire started on July 6 at around 9 p.m. and was human-caused. NF Road 2400 is closed at mile marker 10.5, where the pavement ends and the dirt road into the Staircase area of Olympic National Park begins, according to InciWeb. Due to the steep and rocky terrain near the fire, aviation resources are being used to fight the fire, according to a statement from the Olympic National Forest. There are 101 personnel working on the fire as of Thursday.
Pomas Fire has burned around 2,900 acres and is uncontained as of Thursday, according to Inciweb. The fire is located around 36 miles northwest of Entiat and started at around 10 a.m. June 13. The fire was started by lightning. At present, the Pomas Incident is within the footprint of the 2015 Wolverine Fire, according to Inciweb. There are 613 personnel working on the fire. Chelan County has issued a Level 1 "Stay Alert" evacuation announcement limited to Holden Village.
Texas Ferry Fire, also known as the Siegel Fire, scorched around 700 acres but is 93% contained as of Thursday. There are no personnel on site and no more updates to come from the fire as it is currently in patrol status, according to Inciweb. The fire is under investigation; however, it was likely human-caused. It started on July 2 at around 3 p.m. and was around 14 miles south of Cheney.
Toonerville Fire has burned around 85 acres and is uncontained as of Thursday, according to WatchDuty. There are level three evacuations in order for Northeast Toonerville Drive and level two evacuations in order for several other areas.
Western Pines Fire is sitting at 3,800 acres and 0% containment as of Thursday, according to InciWeb. The fire started on July 9 at around noon. It is located about 10 acres northeast of Davenport and spread rapidly east, primarily driven by winds as a cold front passed through the area, according to InciWeb. There are 78 personnel working on the fire. The fire is under investigation, but is assumed to be human-caused.
The air quality in Grant County remains at good, according to AirNow.
The Hope Fire, near Kettle Falls, has scorched around 6,800 acres and is uncontained as of Thursday. The fire has destroyed two homes.
ARTICLES BY NANCE BESTON
Bartrand leads assessor race in preliminary results
EPHRATA — Preliminary election results show Grant County Assessor Candidate Anson Bartrand leading over challenger Clayton Johnson, but both candidates say the race remains far from decided as thousands of ballots remain uncounted. As of the Nov. 3 count, Bartrand received 7,152 votes to Johnson's 5,195. However, Election Coordinator Rebecca Pettingill said Wednesday afternoon that election workers still had about 7,000 ballots in the office awaiting processing and estimated that roughly 15,000 ballots remain to be counted countywide before certification. “If we're going to be anywhere near where we were in 2022, which we're still on kind of track to be, we'll probably process another 15,000 ballots before the end of the election,” Pettingill said.
MLSD highlights STOPit app as tool for reporting safety concerns
MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake School District officials are encouraging students, parents and community members to use the district's STOPit reporting platform to share concerns about school safety, bullying and student well-being. The renewed focus on the reporting system follows a recent community safety town hall, where district leaders discovered many attendees were unfamiliar with the tool, according to Director of Public Relations Ryan Shannon. “We wanted people to know this system is available to our community and to the parents for a multitude of different issues,” Shannon said.
Downtown clock intersection combines 4-way stop, roundabout rules, police say
MOSES LAKE — Drivers traveling through downtown Moses Lake's clock intersection should first treat it as a four-way stop and then navigate around the clock as they would a roundabout, according to Moses Lake Police Department Capt. Adam Monroe. The intersection, centered around the city's iconic clock, has long generated questions from motorists. While many drivers travel to the right around the clock before reaching their destination, others attempt to make direct left turns through the intersection. Monroe said that is not the correct way to navigate the area. “You have to go around the clock tower to get to your destination,” Monroe said. “You can't just cut through traffic.”